Abdul Baset Al Megrahi

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 20 July (WA 183), whether their stance on the release of Mr Al Megrahi took account of the majority of members of the Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament opposing his release in its report, and that the report, when it, "noted that the release of Mr Al Megrahi on compassionate grounds was considered in the normal way and in accordance with good practice", was referring to the medical evidence and not the release itself.

Lord Astor of Hever: My right honourable friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary made their opposition to the release of Mr Al Megrahi clear while in opposition prior to the publication of the Scottish Justice Committee's report. This view has not changed and my right honourable friend the Prime Minister reiterated his position during his visit to the United States. He believes Mr Al Megrahi's release wholly wrong and misguided.

Abortion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of each document in the Department of Health's file CPO 2/25 on the Partial-birth Abortion (Prohibition) Bill 1995 [HL].

Earl Howe: I have asked officials to retrieve and examine the documentation requested by the noble Lord. Once this has been done I will write to the noble Lord and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Abortion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have (a) undertaken, and (b) evaluated, in each year since 1990 on the number of women who died following complications from a legal abortion; and when they last undertook a review of the number of women who died following complications from a legal abortion that drew on (1) United Kingdom, and (2) international, research.

Earl Howe: The department has not undertaken any specific research since 1990 on the number of women who died following complications from a legal abortion.
	However, the department commissioned the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) to produce guidance in 2004, The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion. The aim of the guidance is to ensure that all women considering induced abortion have access to a service of uniformly high quality. The RCOG is currently updating this guidance.
	All the maternal deaths following a legal abortion reported to the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries have undergone a full review.

Abortion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women died within one month of an operation for terminating a pregnancy notified under the abortion regulations in (a) 1980 to 1990, (b) 1991 to 2000, and (c) 2001 to date, broken down by those aged (a) 14 to 16, (b) 17 to 21, (c) 22 to 24, (d) 25 to 30, (e) 31 to 35, and (f) 36 to 40.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many maternal deaths have resulted from legal abortions in each year since 1980; what the maternal mortality rate was (a) for all causes, and (b) for women undergoing legal abortions; and what was the material mortality rate among women undergoing illegal abortions since 1980.

Earl Howe: The information requested is not available broken down by age. However, data on deaths from abortion from 1979 to 2005 for women of all ages can be found in the following table. The maternal death data are currently published in a triennial cycle and 2006-2008 data are due to be published in March 2011.
	
		
			 Maternal Deaths from Legal and Illegal Abortions 1979-2005 
			  Triennium 
			  1979-1981 1982-1984 1985-1987 1988-1990 1991-1993 1994-1996 1997-1999 2000-2002 2003-2005 
			 Legal abortions 5 7 1 3 5 1 2 3 1 
			 Illegal abortions 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Total 6 7 1 3 5 1 2 3 2 
			 Maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 maternities  
			 All direct deaths 9.1* 7.3* 6.13 6.14 5.53 6.1 4.99 5.31 6.24 
			 Legal abortions 0.26* 0.37* 0.04 0.13 0.22 0.05 0.09 0.15 0.05 
			 Illegal abortions 0.05* 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.05 
		
	
	Source: The data are from the maternal death inquiry run by CMACE (Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries) specifically from the Why Mothers Die triennial report (prior to 2003) and Saving Mothers Lives triennial report (2003-2005).
	Note: * rate for England and Wales only.

Airports: Security

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government, whether there are procedures for a person who wishes to complain about the behaviour of an officer searching persons at United Kingdom international airports to ensure that complaints are adequately dealt with when they are made.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, whether a procedure is in place to deal with complaints about officers searching persons at United Kingdom international airports after the event and to ensure any appropriate action is taken.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) complaints procedure (on the Agency's internet site at http://www. ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/contact/makingacomplaint/) can be used to complain about the behaviour of a border force officer searching persons at UK international airports. The procedure applies whether the incident relates to a service the border force provided or was provided on the behalf of UKBA. It also applies where the matter relates to the conduct of border force staff or contractors working on the behalf of UKBA.
	The complaint may be made at the point of contact with a border force officer who will aim to resolve the complaint; this may include referring the matter to a senior officer if this is deemed appropriate. Alternatively the customer, regardless of nationality, may ask to speak to a senior officer in order to make their complaint or seek resolution. A customer may choose to make their complaint after the event; though a complaint must be made within three months of the incident to which it refers.
	The UK border force takes all complaints seriously. The receipt of all complaints is acknowledged in writing and the border force aims to provide a response to the customer within 20 days of receipt. If a customer does not think their complaint has been handled correctly they may ask for the handling to be reviewed. If the customer remains dissatisfied they can ask a UK MP to refer the matter to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Additionally, customers in Scotland who remain dissatisfied can contact the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland. These escalation steps are "signposted" to customers in the letters they receive about their complaint. If the issue raised within the complaint is of a very serious nature the matter will be referred by UKBA to the Independent Police Complaints Commission for England & Wales.
	The UK border force wants to learn from complaints and improve its service to customers wherever possible. The border force considers the complaints not only within the business area that received it but also at the UKBA level so that lessons are learned and good practice shared. For example, the border force may consider making adjustments to the process that led to the complaint, giving their staff extra training or, in serious cases, taking disciplinary action.

Banks

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, whether any bank has failed as a consequence of combining investment and retail banking in the same bank.

Lord Sassoon: In the UK, none of the banks which failed during the banking crisis failed as a consequence of combining investment and retail banking because they did not have investment banking activities.
	Other universal banks in the UK who have combined retail and investment banking were among those that benefited from public support during the crisis. The Government recognise the risk to stability and the taxpayer presented by universal banks or systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) which have become too-systemic-to-fail. This can lead to excessive risk-taking and expose taxpayers to the cost of moral hazard. The G20 has charged the Financial Stability Board (FSB) to develop options for addressing the too-systemic-to-fail problem presented by SIFIs. The Government support the work of the FSB, which will report its conclusions in October 2010. In addition, the Government have asked the Independent Commission on Banking chaired by Sir Jon Vickers to consider options for reducing systemic risk in the banking sector and the complex issue of separating retail and investment banking as a potential mechanism.

Banks and Building Societies

The Earl of Caithness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their estimates of (a) the total amount of bank and building society current account deposits, (b) the total cash held by banks and building societies, (c) the total government debt held by banks and building societies, and (d) the total domestic mortgage holdings of banks and building societies.

Lord Sassoon: The Government do not produce independent estimates of these variables. However, data from the Bank of England show that, as of May 2010, the total amount of UK resident bank and building societies' sterling sight deposits equalled £920 billion; UK resident bank and building societies' sterling holdings of notes and coins equalled £8.2 billion; UK resident bank and building societies' sterling holdings of gilt investments and Treasury bills equalled £72.6 billion; and the total outstanding lending secured on dwellings by banks and building societies equalled £1,240 billion.
	Further details are available on the Bank of England's website via the following web link: http://www. bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/abl/2009.htm

Banks: First Trust Bank

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that in any sale of First Trust Bank the pension fund for former staff will remain subject to United Kingdom regulation.

Lord Freud: Where the sponsoring employer of a pension scheme based in the United Kingdom is sold and the pension scheme remains based in the UK, it will remain subject to UK regulation.
	Where, as a result of the sale of the employer, the pension scheme becomes based outside the UK, a number of regulatory provisions could apply. For example, the Pensions Regulator has certain powers to take action where such a move causes material detriment to the likelihood of members of a defined benefit scheme receiving their benefits.
	Also, European Directive 2003/41/EC on the Activities and Supervision of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision established regulatory mechanisms to support the operation of cross-border occupational pension schemes. Broadly, these regulatory mechanisms apply where the scheme and members are within the EU and EEA but not subject to a single member state's jurisdiction. The Pensions Regulator has a role in regulating cross-border schemes.

Banks: Lending

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 5 July (WA 5), how much was lent by (a) the Royal Bank of Scotland, and (b) Lloyds Banking Group, in the first year of their lending commitments; and who monitors the level of lending.

Lord Sassoon: The first year of the lending commitments was reported in the March 2010 Budget. In mortgage lending, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) lent £12.6bn and Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) lent £24.5bn.
	In business lending, LBG lent £38 billion and RBS lent £41 billion in gross lending facilities. For LBG, the active capital markets and high levels of repayments mean that their net lending to businesses was £5.7 billion. For RBS, capital markets and revived high repayments of borrowing by businesses mean that net lending in particular was negative; RBS lending fell by £6.2 billion across all business sectors.
	The lending commitments are monitored by HM Treasury, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Burma

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are considering an emergency grant to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium to prevent rations to Burmese refugees falling below minimum nutritional requirements.

Earl Attlee: The UK Government are concerned that funding for Burmese refugees in Thailand should be sufficient to meet their basic needs. The Department for International Development's (DfID's) financial contribution to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) has expanded significantly in recent years, now standing at £1.1 million annually. We are aware of the financial pressures facing TBBC this year. Any proposed increase in TBBC's budget should be examined by its donors in a co-ordinated manner and in the context of its overall requirements. The next donor meeting will be hosted by DfID in November.

Burma

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of internally displaced people in Burma who will be affected by cuts in the budget for cross-border food aid due to financial shortfalls of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium.

Earl Attlee: The Thailand Burma Border Consortium has indicated that the reduction in its budget for cross-border food aid this year will affect 8,000 internally displaced people in Burma.
	The Department for International Development's (DfID's) financial contribution to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) has expanded significantly in recent years and now stands at £1.1 million annually. This funding is used to provide assistance to refugees in Thailand and people displaced by conflict inside Burma.

Burma

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Bangladesh about alleged harassment, arrest and forced deportation of ethnic Rohingya refugees from Burma.

Lord Astor of Hever: We have raised the plight of Rohingya refugees with the Government of Bangladesh both bilaterally and in concert with EU partners. Most recently, my honourable friend the Minister of State at the Department for International Development, Alan Duncan, discussed the issue with the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, Dr Dipu Moni, on 14 July 2010.
	We support the European Commission and UN programmes for Rohingya refugees through the UK's core funding to the EU and the UN.

Burma

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much aid they will provide for refugees on the Thailand-Burma border in the next year.

Earl Attlee: The Department for International Development (DFID) has allocated £1.1 million to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) in 2010-11. The majority of this funding is expected be used for TBBC's programmes for refugees in Thailand. A proportion of this grant may also be used to provide assistance to people displaced by conflict inside Burma.
	In addition, DfID plans to provide about £650,000 to the International Rescue Committee to improve access to legal assistance for refugees in Thailand in 2010-11.
	The overall size of DfID's future programme for Burma will be decided later this year, following a review now being undertaken of all bilateral aid programmes and the results of the comprehensive spending review.

Burma

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much aid they provide for cross-border medical programmes in Burma.

Earl Attlee: In 2009-10, the Department for International Development (DfID) provided £636,000 for cross-border medical programmes in Burma. DfID has allocated £1.1 million for these programmes in 2010-11 and is considering a proposal for additional health aid for displaced people in conflict-affected parts of eastern Burma.
	The overall size of DfID's future programme for Burma will be decided later this year, following a review now being undertaken of all bilateral aid programmes and the results of the comprehensive spending review.

Burma

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for International Development is funding organisations promoting women's rights and equality in Burma.

Earl Attlee: In the coalition programme, the UK Government recognised the vital role of women in development and laid out our commitment to promote gender equality and focus on the rights of women, children and disabled people to access services.
	The Department for International Development (DfID) is supporting several programmes that promote women's rights and equality in Burma. UK aid is supporting the Shan Women's Action Network to empower women and promote their rights in communities displaced by conflict along the Thailand-Burma border. DfID aid is providing improved access to maternal health services for up to 18,000 women in areas affected by Cyclone Nargis.
	Through the Three Diseases Fund, DfID supports HIV prevention services for female sex workers and other vulnerable groups. UK aid is contributing towards improved income-earning opportunities for rural women through a new Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund. In 2009, DfID support for the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Initiative helped to enable about 135,000 women in rural communities across Burma to form self-reliance groups to pool their savings and access credit.

Courts: Travel Expenses

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what provisions there are for paying travelling expenses to witnesses and defendants on welfare and other benefits for attending court hearings.

Lord McNally: Travel expenses properly incurred by defence witnesses in England and Wales may be claimed from central funds, unless the court directs that the expenses are not to be allowed. The Crown Prosecution Service makes similar provision for prosecution witnesses. An acquitted defendant whose costs are ordered by a court to be paid out of central funds, may also claim travel expenses properly incurred.

Development Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make international aid dependent on a good human rights record in recipient countries.

Earl Attlee: In taking decisions on the provision of aid, the Department for International Development (DfID) takes into consideration the country Government's commitment to human rights, as well as their commitment to poverty reduction, accountability and combating corruption, and the level of development and humanitarian needs in the country.
	The Secretary of State has recently initiated a review of DfID's bilateral aid programmes to ensure that we target UK aid where it is needed most and will make the most significant impact on poverty reduction. The review will consider which countries should receive British aid, how much they should receive and which countries should stop receiving British aid.

Education: Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships

Lord Hughes of Woodside: To ask Her Majesty's Government which charities have been partners in the Chevening Scholarships scheme.

Lord Astor of Hever: I attach a list of 182 organisations which have been partners in the Chevening scholarship scheme in the last five years. We do not hold records centrally of which are charities. It would involve disproportionate cost to provide that information.
	Association of Commonwealth Universities
	Aga Khan Development Network
	Ahfad University
	Airbus
	Altajir Trust
	Amerada Hess
	Anglo American
	Arab British Chamber
	Arup China
	Astra Zeneca
	Axa Insurance
	Bahrain British Business Forum
	Bahrain National Holding Company
	Bahran National Insurance
	Bank of Cyprus
	Bank of England
	Bank of Korea
	BAPCO (Bahrain Petroleum Company)
	Barclay Brothers
	Barclays
	Batelco (Bahrain Telecommunications Company)
	BBC/SkyLife
	BBC World
	Beit Trust
	BG Group
	BHP Billiton
	Boots
	BP
	BP Polska
	BP Trinidad and Tobago
	British Aerospace Systems
	British Business Forum
	British Chamber of Commerce in Korea
	British Petroleum
	British Scholarships Oman
	Brockman Foundation
	Cadbury Schweppes
	Cambridge Commonwealth Trust
	Cambridge Overseas Trust
	Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa
	Cartello
	Central European University
	CfBT Education Trust
	China Development Bank
	China Life Insurance
	China Mobile HK Ltd
	China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Import and Export Corporation
	China Petrochemical Corporation
	China Scholarship Council
	China Securities Regulatory Commission
	Chinese International Trust and Investment Company
	Chinese State Intellectual Property Office
	Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
	Clifford Chance
	Colfuturo (Colombia)
	Commonwealth Broadcasting Association
	CONICYT (National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research, Chile)
	Corfinsura (Colombia)
	Cosco Logistics
	Croatia National Bank
	Czech MoE
	De la Rue Charitable Trust
	Department for Education and Skills (UK)
	Diageo
	EFG Bank
	Energy for Sustainable Development
	Euro Charity Trust
	Eversheds
	EXIM
	Ford Foundation
	Financial Supervisory Service Korea
	Fundacion Andes
	General Administration of Civil Aviation
	Glaxo Smith Kline
	Hansard Society
	Harvey Nash
	Herbert Smith
	Herlinda Sordo
	Herzog
	Hess
	Hill Foundation
	Hong Kong Arts Development Council
	Housing Bank for Trade and Finance
	Hewlett Packard
	HSBC
	Hutchison Whampoa
	ICBC (Instituto Chileno Britanico)
	Import Export Bank of China
	Industrial & Commercial Bank of China
	International Business Wales
	International General Insurance
	International Power PLC
	Jawad's
	John Swire & Sons
	KC Wong
	Kenana Sugar
	King Abdullah Fund for Development
	Korea Britain Society
	Korean Bar Association & Law Society
	KPMG
	Kremer Associes
	Kulika Charitable Trust (Uganda)
	Ladbrokes
	Landerer
	Leonard Sainer
	Liaohe Petroleum Exploration
	Lloyds
	Lord Goodman
	Lynford Cay Foundation
	Malta FSA
	Malta Resources Authority
	Mansion House
	Martin Currie
	Middlesea PLC
	Midi PLC
	Ministry of Finance China
	Ministry of Water Resources
	Ministry of Defence (UK)
	Ministry of European Integration Croatia
	MoSF Korea
	Mott MacDonald
	Mobile Telephone Network Syria (Areeba)
	Muscat Pharmacy
	National Australia Bank
	National Bureau of Statistics
	National Electricity Corporation
	Noon Educational Foundation
	Norwich Union
	Open Society Institute
	Oriental Group
	Oxford Theological Exchange Programme
	PCA Life Insurance Co Ltd
	Pearson
	Petrochina Company Ltd
	Petrofac
	Pinheiro Neto Advogados
	Portland Trust
	Provident
	Prudential
	Rayne Foundation
	Rio Tinto Zinc
	Robert T Jones Jr Scholarship Foundation
	Rolls-Royce
	Rothschild
	Royal Insurance Company
	Royal Sun Alliance
	SAB Miller
	Said Foundation
	Sainer
	Saudi British Bank
	SC First Bank
	Scots Australian Council
	Scottish Executive
	Shanghai Media
	Shanghai Stock Exchange
	Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund
	ShuiOn
	Simmonds Farson
	Sir David Alliance
	Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Trust
	Sir SY Chung
	Skylife
	Slovenian Ministry of Culture
	South African NRF
	Standard Chartered Bank
	Swire Cathay Pacific
	Tang Trust
	Tesco
	Thai National Power
	Thames Water
	Trace Foundation
	Tubitak
	Turkish Education Association
	United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre
	Unilever
	Vodafone
	Welsh Development Agency
	Westfield
	Wincott/Reuters
	Windle Trust
	Yellow River Water
	Zaki Hashem & Partners

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 1 July (WA 296) and on 19 July (WA 164), how donated sperm fulfils the principal purposes of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority research licence R0152.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 19 July (WA 162), what is the evidence to suggest that the proposed treatment is feasible; and how that relates to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 6 April (WA 406) or the statement in the initial application for research licence R0152 that no further animal work is needed.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's (HFEA) research licence committee makes its decisions based on the merit of each individual application, taking all evidence provided into account. The HFEA has advised that it does not comment on the feasibility of proposed treatments.
	The HFEA has advised that its research licence committee decided in considering the initial application for research licence R0152 that the research is "necessary or desirable" as required by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 19 July (WA 164), why the use of tissue from patients undergoing a caesarean section could not be fulfilled by the use of a novel feeder cell system as described in the journal Stem Cells (volume 23, issue 3, pages 306-14); and how the use of such tissue relates to mitochondrial biology during early human development.

Earl Howe: Subject to the relevant approvals, tissue from patients undergoing caesarean section may be used in a number of research applications. Such research could be undertaken to investigate a variety of issues, which may include mitochondrial biology during early human development.
	It will be for individual researchers to decide the appropriate protocols for the maintenance culture of embryonic stem cells in vitro, taking into account the intended final use of those cells.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 6 April (WA 393) and by Earl Howe on 19 July (WA 164), whether the creation of embryos in vitro and the storage of licensed material under Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority research licence R0152 includes the use of donor nuclei from children with a serious mitochondrial disease.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that how donated sperm fulfils the principal purposes of research licence R0152 would be a matter for the authority's research licence committee. The outcome of its deliberations can be found in the minutes published on the HFEA's website at:
	http://guide.hfea.gov.uk/guide/InspectionReport. aspx?Code=17&s=1&&nav=2
	A copy has also been placed in the Library.
	The HFEA has also advised that the creation of embryos in vitro and the storage of licensed material under research licence R0152 do not include the use of donor nuclei from children with a serious mitochondrial disease.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 30 June (WA 280-1) and 19 July (WA 163-4), how the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority determined that findings reported at a conference align with previously published academic research in the absence of advice from its Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that its Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee (SCAAC) continually keeps under review emerging research findings that are relevant to the activities that the HFEA regulates. The findings reported at the conference align with the general summary of risks that SCAAC last considered.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 30 June (WA 280-1), how the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has responded to comments made in the British Medical Journal (15 June 2010, volume 340, c3191) about linking National Health Service data on child development to use of assisted reproductive technology; and what estimate the Authority has made of the number of children likely to be affected in the United Kingdom.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it has neither responded to comments made in the British Medical Journal nor made an estimate of the number of children affected.
	To enable better use to be made by researchers of information held on the HFEA's register of fertility treatments, including the long-term follow-up of children born as a result of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 was amended in October 2009 to enable the people to whom the information relates to consent to its disclosure for research purposes.
	Regulations were also made in April 2010 to enable research applications for access to such data, where it is not practicable to obtain consent from the persons to whom it relates, for information collected on the register between August 1991 and September 2009.

Energy: Power Generation

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure there will be sufficient graduate engineers to meet demand from new large-scale power generation facilities, including coal, nuclear and renewable forms of energy.

Baroness Wilcox: The coalition agrees that scientific and technical skills will be vital for the nation's economic prosperity. We also recognise that the majority of workers in the energy sector will retire within 15 years, leading to a need both to replace and expand the workforce.
	My department provides enhanced support for engineering through HEFCE's Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects programme, and encourages young people into engineering through initiatives such as the National Science and Engineering Competition and the STEM Ambassadors scheme. The £132 million University Modernisation Fund will enable universities to recruit an additional 10,000 students in 2010-11, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
	My department and DECC have supported a variety of initiatives specifically in the energy sector, such as the establishment of the National Skills Academies (NSAs) for Nuclear and for Power, which shape skills provision in their sectors and attract employer investment in skills from apprenticeships through to Foundation Degrees and professional levels. The NSA Nuclear has also introduced a Certificate of Nuclear Professionalism in partnership with the Open University to enable graduates, including engineers, to recognise the specific skills needs of the nuclear sector. The North West Higher Level Skills Partnership has provided funding to support the development of eight new courses in the energy and environmental technologies sector, designed jointly by business and universities. In addition, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council supports energy doctoral training centres to develop future strategic leaders in energy technologies. These include centres for wind energy at Strathclyde, nuclear fission at Manchester and low-carbon energy at Leeds.

EU: Asian Countries

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they would support the admission of Asian countries to the European Union; and, if so, which ones.

Lord Astor of Hever: The UK is a strong supporter of EU enlargement. The criteria for applying for EU membership are set out in Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, which states that: "Any European State which respects the values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them may apply to become a member of the Union".

EU: Expansion

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they envisage any limits to the expansion of the European Union; and, if so, what they are.

Lord Astor of Hever: The UK is a strong supporter of EU enlargement. The criteria for applying for EU membership are set out in Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, which states that: "Any European State which respects the values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them may apply to become a member of the Union".

EU: Presidency

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of the Presidency of the European Council; and how it is met.

Lord Astor of Hever: In 2010, the cost of the office of the President of the European Council, including staff, travel expenses and salary, is €6 million. The cost is being met this year from within the EU's annual budget, using funds which had been previously allocated to other Council projects. The budget for the office of the President of the European Council in 2011, like all other EU institutions, is currently being decided as part of ongoing negotiations on the EU's budget for next year.

Finance: Derivatives

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many and what percentage of financial derivative trades involving United Kingdom banks each year it is necessary for the counterparties to post and maintain collateral; and what is the relationship of required collateral to the face value of contracts.

Lord Sassoon: There is no existing requirement for firms to post and maintain collateral for derivatives trades.
	The most recent survey by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association found that around 70% of over-the-counter derivatives contracts were collateralised.

Government Departments: Websites

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Department for International Development; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Department for International Development (DfID) operates three websites: dfid.gov.uk, research4development.info and developments.org.uk.
	(a) For costs of running these websites over the past year, I refer the noble Baroness to the Central Government Website Report published by the Central Office of Information (COI), which is available at http://coi.gov.uk/ aboutcoi.php?page=357. Costs are not available in comparable format for 2007-8 and 2008-9. DfID intends to publish the information requested annually, starting this financial year for all agency sites open on or after 1 April 2011.
	(b) Each website has received the following number of hits in the last three years.
	
		
			  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 dfid.gov.uk 5,565,607 5,934,948 6,835,851 
			 research4development.info Not available 2,856,258 8,163,148 
			 developments.org 257,105 285,106 260,144 
		
	
	(c) DfID has closed 37 websites from its website estate in the past three years.

Health: Costs

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 12 July (WA 100), how many pensioners and members of their families are on the United Kingdom's list for each of the European Economic Area member states maintained for the purposes of calculating refunds of sickness and maternity costs under Article 95 of Council Regulation (EEC) 574/72.

Lord Freud: The information in the table below shows the number of pensioners and dependants currently holding valid E121 forms which provide cover under Article 95 of Council Regulation (EEC) 574/72.
	
		
			 EEA Member State No. of forms issued by UK for Pensioners living in other Member States No. forms issued by UK for dependants of Pensioners living in other Member States 
			 Austria 500 55 
			 Belgium 524 44 
			 Bulgaria 232 47 
			 Czech Republic 75 7 
			 Denmark 22 1 
			 Estonia 14 0 
			 Finland 26 3 
			 France 34,226 8,294 
			 Germany 2,678 177 
			 Gibraltar 1 0 
			 Greece 2,479 449 
			 Hungary 370 33 
			 Iceland 10 2 
			 Ireland 0 0 
			 Italy 2,833 218 
			 Latvia 39 2 
			 Lithuania 18 0 
			 Luxembourg 47 3 
			 Malta 2,015 260 
			 Norway 54 0 
			 Poland 405 37 
			 Portugal 2,169 214 
			 Romania 10 0 
			 Slovakia 13 1 
			 Slovenia 47 7 
			 Spain 62,261 12,021 
			 Sweden 132 12 
			 Switzerland 302 33 
			 The Netherlands 252 14 
			 The Republic of Cyprus 9,131 1,745 
			 Total 120,885 23,679 
		
	
	Source: Overseas Healthcare Team live system report 28/07/2010
	Notes:
	1. Main E121 Forms are issued to pensioners leaving the UK to live in another EEA member state.
	2. Dependant E121 forms are issued to the family of pensioners living in another EEA member state. This would generally be a spouse or civil partner.

Health: Orthopaedics

Lord Cotter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all fracture units in NHS trusts are supported by an acute in-patient orthogeriatric service.

Earl Howe: The national clinical director (NCD) for trauma care, Professor Keith Willett, has recently led the development of integrated care pathways for the treatment and rehabilitation of older people suffering hip fractures. From April 2010, hip fracture care has been included in the Best Practice Tariff (BPT), a funding programme designed to encourage providers to offer the highest quality of care and reduce variation. Providers that meet required clinical criteria, derived from widely accepted best-practice guidance, receive tariff uplift.
	To qualify for BPT for hip fracture care, all the characteristics in (a) and (b) (i) to (iv) as follows must be achieved:
	(a) time to surgery within 36 hours from arrival in an emergency department, or time of diagnosis if an in-patient, to the start of anaesthesia; and
	(b) involvement of an (ortho) geriatrician:
	(i) admitted under the joint care of a consultant geriatrician and a consultant orthopaedic surgeon
	(ii) admitted using an assessment protocol agreed by geriatric medicine, orthopaedic surgery and anaesthesia
	(iii) assessed by a geriatrician (as defined by a consultant, non-consultant career grade (NCCG), or specialist trainee ST3+) in the perioperative period (defined as within 72 hours of admission)
	(iv) a postoperative geriatrician-directed:
	a. multi-professional rehabilitation team
	b. fracture prevention assessments (falls and bone health).
	The department gives financial support to the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD). This national clinical audit can be relied on to evidence achievement of BPT and to monitor practice. The NHFD portal allows providers to benchmark their performance against others across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The latest report from the audit is due to be published shortly.

Health: Orthopaedics

Lord Cotter: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask Primary Care Trusts to publish data on the quality and effectiveness of osteoporosis and fracture services, as gathered by the Royal College of Physicians' clinical and organisational audits of falls and bone health services for older people.

Earl Howe: The regular national clinical audit of falls and bone health in older people will be conducted next in September 2010 and will directly provide feedback on the key indicators to participating sites and trusts in December 2010. This will be followed by the published report in March 2011 containing trust identifiable data, which will also be made available on the NHS Choices website and on the website of the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). For these reasons we see no need specifically to ask primary care trusts to publish the data, although they may wish do so.

Health: Orthopaedics

Lord Cotter: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to fund the national clinical and organisational audits of falls and bone health services for older people carried out by the Royal College of Physicians.

Earl Howe: The recently published White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS makes clear the commitment to extend national clinical audit to support clinicians across a wider range of treatments and conditions and expand the validity, collection and use of national clinical audit data. Funding has already been committed to the next national audit of falls and bone health in older people, to be conducted in September 2010.

Health: Pregnancy

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many girls aged each year up to 16 (a) became pregnant, (b) had an abortion, (c) gave birth and gave the child up for adoption, and (d) gave birth and kept the child, in each region in the past five years for which figures are available.

Earl Howe: Information on under-16 conceptions from 2003 to 2007 is shown in the following table. Data for 2008 are still provisional and will be published in the autumn. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data only at an aggregated level for the under-16s in order to preserve confidentiality. Conceptions data combine information from registrations of births and notification of legal abortions occurring in England and Wales for women who are usually resident there. Conception statistics include pregnancies that result in one or more live or stillbirths, or a legal abortion under the Abortion Act 1967. Data on adopted children do not include any information on the birth parents.
	
		
			 Under-16 conceptions (numbers and rates) by Government Office Region 2003-2007 
			   Area of usual residence  
			 Year Number and rates England and Wales North East North West Yorkshire and The Humber East Midlands West Midlands East London South East South West Wales 
			 2007 Number 8,200 534 1,200 967 658 961 649 1,071 1,023 655 482 
			  Conception rate 8.3 11.3 9.2 10.0 8.1 9.4 6.2 8.8 6.6 7.0 8.5 
			  Maternity rate 3.2 4.8 3.5 4.1 3.4 3.6 2.4 2.7 2.4 2.8 4.0 
			  Abortion rate 5.1 6.5 5.6 6.0 4.7 5.7 3.8 6.2 4.3 4.2 4.5 
			 2006 Number 7,826 475 1,155 949 592 947 612 1,067 921 612 496 
			  Conception rate 7.8 9.8 8.5 9.6 7.2 9.0 5.8 8.7 5.9 6.5 8.6 
			  Maternity rate 3.1 4.5 3.6 4.0 3.3 3.7 2.2 2.7 2.3 2.5 4.0 
			  Abortion rate 4.7 5.3 5.0 5.6 3.8 5.4 3.6 5.9 3.7 4.0 4.6 
			 2005 Number 7,930 481 1,167 907 646 938 636 1,068 997 633 457 
			  Conception rate 7.8 9.8 8.5 9.0 7.7 8.8 6.0 8.6 6.4 6.7 7.9 
			  Maternity rate 3.3 4.5 3.9 4.1 3.8 3.9 2.4 3.1 2.6 2.5 3.9 
			  Abortion rate 4.5 5.3 4.6 5.0 3.9 4.8 3.6 5.5 3.8 4.1 4.0 
			 2004 Number 7,615 481 1,076 871 610 899 600 1,128 918 598 434 
			  Conception rate 7.5 9.8 7.8 8.7 7.3 8.4 5.7 9.0 5.9 6.3 7.5 
			  Maternity rate 3.2 4.7 3.6 4.1 3.6 3.7 2.4 3.1 2.2 2.5 3.8 
			  Abortion rate 4.3 5.1 4.3 4.6 3.7 4.7 3.3 5.9 3.7 3.8 3.7 
			 2003 Number 8,024 498 1,180 876 606 925 636 1,247 984 606 466 
			  Conception rate 8.0 10.2 8.6 8.8 7.3 8.7 6.1 9.9 6.4 6.4 8.1 
			  Maternity rate 3.4 4.0 3.9 4.3 3.4 3.8 2.5 3.3 2.8 2.8 3.7 
			  Abortion rate 4.6 6.2 4.7 4.5 3.9 4.9 3.6 6.6 3.7 3.7 4.4 
		
	
	Rates are based on the mid-year population estimates available at the time the annual reference volumes for conception statistics were published.
	Rates for women of under 16 are based on the population of women aged 13 to 15.
	Source: Office for National Statistics

Housing

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to introduce new rules covering change of use from family homes to houses of multiple occupation.

Baroness Hanham: We have sought the views of key partners on our proposals to amend the planning rules for houses in multiple occupation. Subject to consideration of their responses, our aim is to have the revised legislation in place for 1 October 2010.

Identity Security

Lord Brett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the use of fingerprints in identity documents.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The coalition Government consider that biographical and biometric data held by the state about an individual must be both proportionate and necessary. We are ending the ID card scheme and destroying the fingerprints and other personal data held on the national identity register for this reason.
	Work has also been halted on the introduction of fingerprints in passports.
	We will continue to provide for fingerprints in the issue of biometric residence permits and application registration cards.

Immigration: Tribunals

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a correlation between cases of successful immigration and asylum appeals and the absence of presenting officers in those cases.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The UK Border Agency continuously monitors its procedures to ensure that it is making the most effective use of resources.
	The UK Border Agency is reviewing whether there is a correlation between representation by presenting officers and the outcome of the appeal. The UK Border Agency is currently in the process of carrying out further analysis and the Immigration Minister would be happy to write in due course to arrange a meeting with the responsible officials.

India: Development Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that aid provided to the Government of India focuses on removing any caste-based breaches of human rights, eliminating the causes of poverty, and targeting slavery and trafficking; and whether they will put in place indicators to measure that.

Earl Attlee: The 2002 International Development Act makes reducing poverty the central objective of the Department for International Development's (DfID's) assistance. In India, DfID supports specific programmes that tackle discrimination and help marginalised groups to hold the Government to account. In addition, UK support to universal elementary education in India includes a target on increasing the enrolment of girls and Dalit and Adivasi (tribal) children. By working to tackle poverty and discrimination, DfID is helping to address the root causes of slavery and trafficking.
	The Secretary of State has recently announced a bilateral aid review for each of its country programmes. This review will determine the future size and direction of the India programme.

Internet: Broadband

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial assistance they have provided to the Broadband Stakeholder Group over the last six years; whether the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has places on the Group's board; and what remuneration was paid to the chairman, the chief executive and each board member in the last six years.

Baroness Wilcox: 2004 £143,638.05 
			 2005 £47,990.97 
			 2006 £197,166.88 
			 2007 £67,717.03 
			 2008 £244,995.12 
			 2009 £46,418.88 
			 2010 £80,000 
		
	
	The Broadband Stakeholder Group does not have a board, but it has an executive Committee, whose membership, including officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, is available at http://www.broadbanduk.org/content/view/36/23/
	Neither the chair nor any of the Executive Committee members receives any remuneration from BSG. The chief executive is employed by and receives a salary from Intellect, the ICT trade body.

Internet: Broadband

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much government or agency funding was provided or made available by (a) the South West Regional Development Agency, and (b) Connecting Somerset, to Community Broadband Network Ltd (CBN Ltd) and Independent Networks Co-operative Association Ltd (INCA Ltd) in each of the last five years for reports, roadshows or other purposes in connection with the supply of broadband and Next Generation Access; and whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all such reports supplied by CBN Ltd and INCA Ltd.

Baroness Wilcox: (a) The South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) has not provided CBN or INCA with any government or agency funding for any purpose in the last five years.
	(b) Connecting Somerset is funded by the European Social Fund, SWRDA and Somerset's local authorities and public sector groups. We do not hold records of its expenditure but have confirmed that no SWRDA funding has been provided to CBN or INCA by Connecting Somerset for any purpose in the last five years.

Iran

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, and with what conclusions, of Iran's political and military involvement in Afghanistan.

Lord Astor of Hever: Iran is pursuing a dangerous dual strategy in Afghanistan. While it assists the country through economic and humanitarian aid and supports the legitimate Afghan government, it also undermines Afghan security by providing finance, weapons and training to the Taliban. Iranian support for the Taliban is totally unacceptable and further undermines international and regional confidence in Iran's intentions.

Iran

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran about allegations of support from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp to sympathisers of the Taliban, arms smugglers and criminal gangs in Afghanistan.

Lord Astor of Hever: We have serious concerns about Iranian support for the Taliban, including arms supplies, financial assistance and training. We have made clear to the government of Iran that such support is unacceptable. It further undermines international confidence in the Iranian government's intentions, and is at odds with its claim to the international community and its own people that it supports stability and security in Afghanistan. We are working with the International Security Assistance Force to interdict shipments of weapons to the Taliban, including from Iran.

Iraq: Camp Ashraf

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assurances they have requested and received from the Government of Iraq about the rights of refugee members of the Iranian resistance at Camp Ashraf.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials in Baghdad visited Camp Ashraf on 24 July 2010 to clarify whether any of the residents qualified for UK consular assistance. During their visit they met with the Iraqi army, which confirmed that food and medical supplies were permitted to enter the camp.
	Our ambassador in Baghdad met with the Iraqi Human Rights Minister on 20 May 2010 and underlined the need for the Iraqi authorities to deal with the residents in a way that meets international humanitarian standards. The Iraqi authorities have told the residents that they can no longer stay at Camp Ashraf but have given assurances that no residents will be forcibly transferred to a country where they have reason to fear persecution or where substantial grounds exist to believe they would be tortured. We continue to discuss Camp Ashraf with the Iraqi Government, the EU, the US and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
	In July 2010, FCO officials in Baghdad received a report from the Iraqi Human Rights Ministry into events that took place at the camp in July 2009. We are discussing the contents with interested partners. We will write to the noble Lord with further details.
	We have not received any information about the Government of Iraq denying visas to relatives and friends of the residents.

Iraq: Camp Ashraf

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the Government of Iraq about it not granting visas to relatives and friends to visit refugee members of the Iranian resistance at Camp Ashraf; and what was the response.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials in Baghdad visited Camp Ashraf on 24 July 2010 to clarify whether any of the residents qualified for UK consular assistance. During their visit they met with the Iraqi army, which confirmed that food and medical supplies were permitted to enter the camp.
	Our ambassador in Baghdad met with the Iraqi Human Rights Minister on 20 May 2010 and underlined the need for the Iraqi authorities to deal with the residents in a way that meets international humanitarian standards. The Iraqi authorities have told the residents that they can no longer stay at Camp Ashraf but have given assurances that no residents will be forcibly transferred to a country where they have reason to fear persecution, or where substantial grounds exist to believe they would be tortured. We continue to discuss Camp Ashraf with the Iraqi Government, the EU, the US and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
	In July 2010, FCO officials in Baghdad received a report from the Iraqi Human Rights Ministry into events that took place at the camp in July 2009. We are discussing the contents with interested partners. We will write to the noble Lord with further details.
	We have not received any information about the Government of Iraq denying visas to relatives and friends of the residents.

Iraq: Camp Ashraf

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the Government of Iraq about the supplies of fuel, food and medicines to refugee members of the Iranian resistance at Camp Ashraf.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Our ambassador in Baghdad met with the Iraqi Human Rights Minister on 20 May 2010 and underlined the need for the Iraqi authorities to deal with the residents in a way that meets international humanitarian standards. The Iraqi authorities have told the residents that they can no longer stay at Camp Ashraf but have given assurances that no residents will be forcibly transferred to a country where they have reason to fear persecution or where substantial grounds exist to believe that they would be tortured. We continue to discuss Camp Ashraf with the Iraqi Government, the EU, the US and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
	In July 2010, FCO officials in Baghdad received a report from the Iraqi Human Rights Ministry into events that took place at the camp in July 2009. We are discussing the contents with interested partners. We will write to the noble Lord with further details.
	We have not received any information about the Government of Iraq denying visas to relatives and friends of the residents.

Iraq: Camp Ashraf

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they received the report from the Government of Iraq about events at Camp Ashraf in July 2009; and what was their response.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials in Baghdad visited Camp Ashraf on 24 July 2010 to clarify whether any of the residents qualified for UK consular assistance. During their visit, they met with the Iraqi army, which confirmed that food and medical supplies were permitted to enter the camp.
	Our ambassador in Baghdad met with the Iraqi Human Rights Minister on 20 May 2010 and underlined the need for the Iraqi authorities to deal with the residents in a way that meets international humanitarian standards. The Iraqi authorities have told the residents that they can no longer stay at Camp Ashraf but have given assurances that no residents will be forcibly transferred to a country where they have reason to fear persecution or where substantial grounds exist to believe that they would be tortured. We continue to discuss Camp Ashraf with the Iraqi Government, the EU, the US and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
	In July 2010, FCO officials in Baghdad received a report from the Iraqi Human Rights Ministry into events that took place at the camp in July 2009. We are discussing the contents with interested partners. We will write to the noble Lord with further details.
	We have not received any information about the Government of Iraq denying visas to relatives and friends of the residents.

National DNA Database

Lord Brett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about holding information on the National DNA Database for three years as opposed to six years.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government are currently consulting on the retention of DNA on the "Your Freedom" website. We will be considering the responses before bringing forward provisions in the first Session.

Office for Life Sciences

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for funding the Office for Life Sciences.

Baroness Wilcox: The Office for Life Sciences was established in January 2009 comprising officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), HM Treasury, the Department of Health and UKTI. The OLS had a remit to work with the life sciences industry to build a sustainable and integrated industry in the UK in the future. Its work culminated in the Life Sciences Blueprint, published in July 2009, followed by Life Sciences 2010: Delivering the Life Sciences Blueprint, published in January 2010.
	In May 2010, the OLS was restructured with all staff now funded by my department through its normal running costs. The Office for Life Sciences (OLS) will continue to work to improve the UK business environment for life sciences companies. This will be based on close and collaborative working between BIS and DH Ministers and their officials.

Pensions

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the operation of regulation 2(3)(b)(vi) of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/3378); and, in particular, what percentage of United Kingdom pensions schemes include details in their statements of investment principles of (a) which specific social, environmental and ethical issues they take into account, and (b) how those issues are taken into account.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of what proportion of United Kingdom occupational pension schemes report regularly to their members on (a) the action they have taken to implement the policies in their statements of investment principles, and (b) the exercise of shareholder rights attaching to their investments.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the effect of regulation 2(3)(b)(vi) of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/3378) on the extent to which United Kingdom pension funds take environmental, social and ethical issues into account in the selection, retention and realisation of their investments.

Lord Freud: The legislation referred to requires an occupational pension scheme's Statement of Investment Principles to disclose the extent, if at all, to which social, environmental, or ethical considerations are taken into account in the selection, retention, and realisation of investments. They also require schemes to disclose their policy, if any, in relation to the exercise of the rights (including voting rights) attached to those investments.
	However, the department does not collect information on the number of schemes that include details, in their statement of investment principles, of which specific social, environmental and ethical issues they take into account. Nor does the department collect information on the number of schemes that report on the action taken to implement the policies in their statements of investment principles and the exercise of shareholder rights attaching to their investments.
	The department has not carried out an assessment of the way in which schemes apply the current requirements.

Science and Engineering: Expenditure Cuts

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on United Kingdom science and engineering of the expenditure reductions announced in the recent Budget.

Baroness Wilcox: No assessment has been made. Budgets for future years will be decided this autumn as part of the spending review.

Sheffield Forgemasters

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will establish an independent review of their decision to withdraw a proposed loan to Sheffield Forgemasters.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the letter from Mr Andrew Cook to the Minister for Business and Enterprise, Mark Prisk, about Sheffield Forgemasters was taken as confirmation that a private sector solution was workable to enable the company to develop a high-tech press for nuclear power plant components.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the prospects of a private sector solution for Sheffield Forgemasters' ability to fund the development of a high-tech press for nuclear power plant components.

Baroness Wilcox: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 July, Official Report, cols. WS150-52.

Sri Lanka

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 19 July (WA 181), when they will next raise the issue of the welfare of Pregeeth Ekanaliyagoda with the Government of Sri Lanka.

Lord Astor of Hever: On 22 June 2010, the Appeal Court ordered the police officers implicated in the habeas corpus application of the missing journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda to appear before it on 13 September. We regularly raise our concerns over media freedom in our ongoing contacts with the Sri Lankan government and will raise Mr Ekneligoda's case in meetings due to take place in the next few weeks.

Sunday Trading

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what rights shop workers who have a conscientious objection to working on a Sunday have.

Baroness Wilcox: Legislation protects shop workers from having to work on Sunday if they do not wish to do so. With the exception of those employed to work solely on Sundays, they have the right to refuse to work on Sundays and cannot be dismissed for doing so.
	Even if they have agreed to work on Sundays, employees are free to change their minds subject to a three-month notice period.

Sunday Trading

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they (a) have taken, and (b) plan to take in the next year, to ensure that employees understand their right to opt out of Sunday working.

Baroness Wilcox: Guidance on Sunday working is available on the Directgov, Businesslink and Acas websites. This is designed to be clear and easy to understand.

Sunday Trading

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have of the number of shop workers who have exercised a right not to work on a Sunday broken down by (a) age, (b) sex, and (c) region.

Baroness Wilcox: The number of shop workers who have exercised their right not to work on a Sunday is not known. However, the following information on Sunday working in the retail sector may be helpful. The figures have been taken from the Labour Force Survey for quarter 2, 2009.
	
		
			 Percentage of those that did not work on a particular Sunday 
			 Age bands 16-24 67.1% 
			 25-34 79.6% 
			 35-49 84.1% 
			 50+ 87.5% 
			 Sex Male 74.5% 
			 Female 81.0% 
			 Government office regions North East 79.0% 
			 North West 77.4% 
			 Merseyside 75.5% 
			 Yorkshire & Humberside 79.5% 
			 East Midlands 76.7% 
			 West Midlands 81.1% 
			 Eastern 81.0% 
			 London 80.7% 
			 South East 80.5% 
			 South West 71.9% 
			 Wales 76.0% 
			 Scotland 74.4% 
			 Northern Ireland 86.9%

Sunday Trading

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have received from trades unions on the level of pay to shop workers working on Sundays.

Baroness Wilcox: I am not aware of any recent representations from trades unions on this issue.

Turkey

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, when they last discussed with the Government of Turkey in their capacity as chairman of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference whether it is urging the other 56 members of the conference to promote political and press freedoms.

Lord Astor of Hever: We have not raised this issue with the Government of Turkey. Turkey itself is not the chair of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference; the Conference's secretary-general- Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu-is Turkish, and a member of the permanent secretariat of the conference, but is not a representative of the Turkish Government.

Turkey

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed, or intend to discuss, with the government of Turkey possible changes to the article of Turkey's constitution that deems all Turkish citizens to be "Turks" automatically.

Lord Astor of Hever: The UK Government and the EU Commission regularly discuss with Turkey the political reforms required for the EU accession process. However, the UK Government believe that it is for the Turks to decide upon amendments to their own constitution.

Turks and Caicos

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent outbreak of violent crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and whether the local police force has sufficient resources to combat crime.

Lord Howell of Guildford: There has been an increase in gun-related criminal activity in the Turks and Caicos Islands over the past two years.
	The Turks and Caicos Islands Government take this matter very seriously and this year strengthened the police force with the appointment of four experienced UK officers.
	In a recent press statement, the Acting Governor said that the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands police force had responded to these crimes robustly with the establishment of a Major Incident Room, which had already delivered positive results: the capture and prosecution of criminals.

Turks and Caicos

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom police officers are in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and why they are there.

Lord Howell of Guildford: There are currently six United Kingdom police officers recruited by the Turks and Caicos Islands Government serving with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands police force to strengthen the force in key areas.
	Their positions are:
	Assistant Commissioner-Territorial Divisions and Operations
	Assistant Commissioner-Marine Division
	Sergeant-Community Policing
	Detective Sergeant-Criminal Investigation Department
	Police Staff-Fingerprint/Crime Scene Officer
	Police Staff-Crime Analyst

Unemployment

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce unemployment through full-time volunteering schemes, such as those deployed by Project Scotland.

Lord Freud: Project Scotland is one of a number of excellent volunteering schemes that we have been considering to inform the development of our new approach, which encourages and supports more unemployed people to take up volunteering as a way of building and maintaining their work skills. Our plans on this will be announced in due course.

Visas

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, how many people who entered the United Kingdom on a student visa were later granted indefinite leave to remain in each of the last five years.

Baroness Neville-Jones: These data are not currently available as there is a significant time and cost implication in gaining the information. The Home Office is conducting research into this issue which it will publish in due course.

Water Suppy: National Grid

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, whether they are considering a national water supply grid involving (a) England, (b) England and Wales, or (c) England, Wales and Scotland.

Lord De Mauley: The Water Industry Act 1991 places a duty on the water companies to plan for and provide a secure supply of water. As part of their planning process, water companies can propose a water grid to transfer water from one company or area to another. The merits of such a grid would be considered by Ministers if applications for planning and other consents came before them for determination.
	The Environment Agency's report, Do we need large-scale water transfers for south east England?, was published in September 2006. The report found no evidence for the need for such large-scale transfer from northern England, and considered it to be expensive and environmentally damaging.
	Information on the water supply arrangements for Wales and Scotland can be obtained from the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Government.

Welfare Reform Act 2009

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the power in section 36 of the Welfare Reform Act 2009 to rename council tax benefit as council tax rebate; when the change will take place; whether they have consulted the Royal British Legion on their plans; and, if not, whether they will do so at an early date.

Lord Freud: We are assessing the costs and impact of renaming council tax benefit as council tax rebate. We are working with local authorities and their IT suppliers to establish the delivery implications and associated costs for the renaming. Similar work is being carried out in Jobcentre Plus and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service, whose IT systems link to those of local authorities. We will write to the Royal British Legion when further progress has been made.

Youth Justice

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what plans they have to expand the use of youth courts in Northern Ireland to England and Wales.

Lord McNally: Her Majesty's Government do not currently have any plans to expand the use of the Northern Irish youth court model to England and Wales. However, we are undertaking a review of sentencing, which will include court and out-of-court disposals for young people and an examination of youth conferencing in Northern Ireland. We are planning a Green Paper for publication in the autumn on these issues.

Youth Justice

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what progress has been made in implementing Section 34 of the Offender Management Act 2007 enabling the Secretary of State to extend the range of establishments in which young people serving detention and training orders may be housed.

Lord McNally: Section 34 of the Offender Management Act 2007 enables the Secretary of State, by order, to specify new types of accommodation in which the custodial part of the detention and training order may be served.
	Before any alternative setting could be approved, it is important to ensure that the new type of accommodation would be safe and appropriate for the young people who would be placed there, that the public would be protected and that the expenditure involved represented value for money. The Youth Justice Board has been looking at both the possible requirement for new types of provision and at possible alternative providers. Any addition to the current range of specified accommodation would be dependent on the Government's being satisfied that the three requirements set out above can be met.

Youth Justice

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what plans they have for meeting the needs of girls in the youth justice system.

Lord McNally: The Government are considering reforms to the youth justice system as part of an examination of sentencing and the criminal justice system in the round. Provision for girls in the youth justice system will be part of this consideration.

Abdul Baset Al Megrahi

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 20 July (WA 183), why the monthly medical reports on Abdul Baset Al Megrahi sent to East Renfrewshire Council are regarded as confidential; what is their purpose; why it would be inappropriate for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ask East Renfrewshire Council for sight of them; and, if the release is regarded by the Prime Minister as a mistake, whether an inquiry by a senior civil servant or judge will be held.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Medical information is sensitive personal data under the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998. For the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to obtain someone's medical documentation, it has to have a valid DPA reason. In this case it would have to be able to show that it was necessary for one of its functions. The FCO does not consider this requirement is met. If the FCO were to obtain medical reports without such a reason it could invite legal and enforcement action.
	Mr Al Megrahi's release was authorised by the Scottish Executive and the reports are sent as a condition of the release licence under which Mr Al Megrahi was released. A copy of the release licence can be found on the Scottish Executive's website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/legal/lockerbie/CompassionateReleasePro/release-licence.
	The decision to release Mr Al Megrahi was investigated by the Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament, whose inquiry reported in February 2010. The Scottish Executive responded to the report in March 2010. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister made clear on 20 July 2010 that he was not minded to have a UK inquiry into Mr Al Megrahi's release at this time. However he has asked the Cabinet Secretary to review all papers held by the British Government relating to Mr Al Megrahi's release and the negotiation of a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya, to see whether there is additional information that needs to be made public and to ensure the clearest possible picture of how decisions were taken. This work has already begun.

Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to close the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government have no plans to close the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Afghanistan

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government what help they are giving to the Government of Afghanistan to develop a strategy to implement the Elimination of Violence Against Women Law, including services for victims.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The gazetting of the Elimination of Violence Against Women Law marked a major step forward for women's rights in Afghanistan. It has primacy over other laws and criminalises a range of violent acts against women for the first time in the country. These include the offences of "baad" (the exchange of women and girls as a form of dispute resolution), stalking, polygamy, and underage marriage. The challenge now is for the Afghan Government to implement the law and, alongside our international partners, we will offer technical help and expertise as required. The UK's wider efforts to help reform the criminal justice system and our support to non-governmental organisations working to address violence against women will also assist in the implementation of the law. We are supporting two of Afghanistan's first legal aid centres for female victims of violence where victims can access pro bono legal assistance and psychological support.

Afghanistan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the contribution of the increased aid budget to Afghanistan to meeting poverty reduction targets and millennium development goals is communicated to United Kingdom taxpayers and Afghan citizens.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Department for International Development (DfID) engages regularly with the media, non-governmental organisations and the Afghan diaspora, to inform the UK public of DfID's work with the Afghan Government to reduce poverty and meet the millennium development goals. DfID co-ordinates its media and communications work with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence through the Afghanistan Communications Team.
	In Afghanistan, the British ambassador regularly briefs the Afghan media and covers the UK's development contribution. On their regular visits to Afghanistan, UK Ministers hold routine press conferences. The embassy, DfID and cross-government websites communicate information about our development work in Afghanistan, with embassy information translated into Pashtu and Dari.

Afghanistan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent the increased aid budget in Afghanistan will reflect the priorities of "improving security and political stability" in Helmand and Kandahar provinces; and whether that will affect poverty reduction and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-approved targets.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Department for International Development (DfID) recognises that improving security and political stability is key to reducing poverty in Afghanistan. The increased aid budget will therefore focus on improving good governance and stimulating the Afghan economy, both nationally and in Helmand. This will help to create jobs and reduce incentives to join the insurgency. In Kandahar, DfID supports development through national priority programmes with the Afghan Government.
	As with all UK aid, DfID funding in Afghanistan is focused on reducing poverty in line with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development definition of official development assistance.

Agriculture: Cattle Passports

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to charge for cattle passports.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government currently have no plans to charge for cattle passports.

Apprenticeships

Lord Young of Norwood Green: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they plan to achieve an additional 50,000 apprentices, especially amongst 16 to 18 year-olds, in the public and private sectors.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: We intend to increase the number of apprenticeship places for people of all ages, and we are committed to improving the quality of apprenticeships to make them better suited to the needs of employers and learners. Our plans to redeploy £150 million from Train to Gain to apprenticeships will benefit adults and are in addition to the significant expansion of apprenticeships already in progress for young people aged 16 to 18. Our strategy for sustainable growth, published last month, outlined our plans for a skilled workforce including apprenticeships, particularly at level 3, to provide the growth in technician-level skills that a dynamic economy needs.

BBC Monitoring

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to reduce the BBC monitoring services at Caversham Park.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: As part of the ongoing comprehensive review of government finances the Cabinet Office is, of course, involved in discussions with the BBC over expenditure in this area. But nothing has been put to Ministers to decide. So no decision has been taken.

Botswana

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Botswana about respecting the constitutional and legal rights of the Bushmen of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: We follow the issue of the San (Bushmen) in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) in Botswana closely. We are aware of a recent court judgement which ruled against a case put forward by 11 San community members regarding access to water in the CKGR.
	We understand consultations between the Government of Botswana and representatives of the CKGR communities are continuing. We further understand that the lawyers for the applicants in the recent water case are considering whether they will appeal and that the Government of Botswana have said that they will respect the outcome of the legal process.
	Our high commission in Gaborone has encouraged the Government of Botswana to take an inclusive approach to this issue, and has made clear the UK's interest in the position of the San. This includes providing financial support for community consultations by NGO facilitators. We will continue to monitor the situation, and to raise it at the appropriate level with the Government of Botswana.

British Embassies

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the commercial sections of British embassies that charge United Kingdom private sector organisations for advice also charge for answering inquiries from foreign organisations about investment and trade opportunities in the United Kingdom; and, if so, what assessment they have made of the effect on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office achieving its priorities.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The activities of the commercial sections of British diplomatic missions are carried out by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), a government department jointly under the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. UKTI works in close collaboration with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	UKTI is tasked by the Government to: (i) enhance the competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investment; (ii) attract to the UK a continuing high level of high-quality foreign direct investment.
	In respect of (i), UKTI charges for some services, including the provision of overseas market intelligence. The majority of UKTI services (in excess of 98 per cent by cost) are free of charge.
	In respect of (ii) UKTI's services are free of charge.
	UKTI is regularly evaluated on the quantity and quality of the outcomes it achieves. The results are set out on the UKTI website:
	www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance.html.

British Shipbuilders Corporation

Lord Dixon: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of the British Shipbuilders Corporation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how members of the British Shipbuilders Corporation were appointed.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the members of the British Shipbuilders Corporation have met since 1998.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the British Shipbuilders Corporation has cost.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what the British Shipbuilders Corporation has achieved since it was set up.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The British Shipbuilders Corporation (BSC) has no active trading operations after the sale of its various shipbuilding assets in the 1980s and 1990s. Its primary purpose is dealing with health claims from former BSC shipyard workers, suffering from mainly asbestos-related diseases. The corporation's solicitors, Eversheds LLP, manage the ongoing claims. Day-to-day oversight of the work is undertaken by officials in the Coal Liabilities Unit (CLU) in the Department of Energy and Climate Change under arrangements agreed with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). This is on the basis of the extensive experience of the CLU in managing health-related compensation claims.
	Civil servants act as the board directors of the corporation (as part of their normal duties and they receive no separate remuneration for this work). The corporation has no employees. Information on the number of meetings the board has had since 1998 is not readily available, but the board currently meets at least twice a year.
	The directors of the corporation are required to prepare an annual report and accounts. The corporation's directors and financial position are fully stated in its annual report and accounts for 2009-10, which was laid before Parliament on 20 July 2010. Details for previous years' activity are set out in the corporation's earlier annual reports and accounts, which have also been deposited in the House Libraries.
	With regards to the number of times the members of the British Shipbuilders Corporation have met since 1998, we do not have this information readily to hand. We are currently investigating. My noble friend Lady Wilcox will write to the noble Lord, and a copy of her letter will be placed in the Library of the House
	My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills announced on 19 July 2010 that the British Shipbuilders Corporation will be abolished next year-as part of the process to cut the number of BIS quangos. The health-related liabilities of the corporation will be transferred to BIS, which will continue to meet them consistently in line with the relevant legal obligations.

Children: Nutrition

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the World Health Assembly recommendations on infant and young child nutrition, as required by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Earl Howe: The Government fully support the principles of the World Health Organisation (WHO) International Code of the Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The Government also note the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child recommendation to implement the code fully.
	Breastfeeding provides all the nutrients a baby needs and brings significant health benefits to both mother and baby. The department recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, with a variety of other foods introduced alongside thereafter.
	The department promotes the evidence-based UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative in the National Health Service, implementing the internationally recognised 10 steps to successful breastfeeding and practice in accordance with the WHO international code. The department provides a range of advice and information on breastfeeding, including the National Breastfeeding Helpline, and essential information for parents on infant nutrition is available from healthcare professionals. The Pregnancy Book and Birth to Five are given to all pregnant women and new mothers. Information is also available on the DVD "From Bump to Breastfeeding". These are available at the following links:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_107302;
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_107303.
	Where mothers cannot breastfeed or choose not to, the department supports the use of infant formula safely and effectively.

Children: Obesity

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the rate of obesity among children.

Earl Howe: We want people to know that they can change their own and their families' lifestyle and make a difference to their health. What the Government can do is give the public clear, consistent messages on why they should change their lifestyle and how to do so, and put in place ways to make this easier. We will be publishing a public health White Paper later this year, setting out our proposals to help improve the public's health.

Companies: Takeovers

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform company takeover rules.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government published a Command Paper (Cm 7915) on 26 July 2010 responding to the former Business, Innovation and Skills Committee's report on issues relating to mergers, acquisitions and takeovers. The Command Paper explained that the Government welcome the Takeover Panel's review of certain aspects of the regulation of takeover bids, which invited responses by 27 July, and will set out their views more fully on these important issues in the light of the responses to that consultation.

Deep Sea Mining

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 20 July (WA 190), whether they provide help or advice to United Kingdom companies involved in deep seabed mining.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: We would consider any request for support or advice by UK-based companies involved in deep sea mining on a case-by-case basis.

Development Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether in their review of development aid they will examine the record of recipient Governments in targeting aid on the most oppressed and the poorest.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The UK Government are committed to ensuring we target our aid where it is needed the most and will have the greatest impact.
	The Bilateral Aid Review will assess each country programme managed by the Department for International Development (DfID) to ensure it is as effective as possible and brings real benefit to the world's poor. It will consider which aid instruments are most effective at delivering poverty reduction in different contexts. DfID only gives direct support to the budgets of individual countries when we are confident the recipient Government will spend the funds responsibly. Funding provided in this way will also be assessed as part of the Bilateral Aid Review.

Education: Languages

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pupils in each of the last five years who took French, German, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Mandarin, Arabic or Turkish at GCSE went on to take that language at AS-level; and how many who took each of those languages at AS-level went on to take it at A2.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pupils in each of the last five years who took French, German, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Mandarin, Arabic or Turkish at GCSE were native speakers of each of those respective languages.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pupils in each of the last five years who took two languages at GCSE went on to take (a) one, and (b) two languages at AS-level.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pupils in each of the last five years who took two languages at AS-level went on to take (a) one, and (b) two languages at A2.

Lord Hill of Oareford: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Elections

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 20 July (WA 192), why Commonwealth citizens granted visas to enter the United Kingdom are immediately eligible to register to vote in parliamentary elections on taking up residence in a particular constituency rather than on being granted indefinite leave to remain.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Representation of the People Act 1918 provided that only British subjects could register as electors. The term "British subject" then included any person who owed allegiance to the Crown, regardless of the Crown territory in which he or she was born. In general terms this included citizens who became Commonwealth citizens under the British Nationality Act 1981 ("the 1981 Act"). The then Government gave an undertaking to preserve certain existing rights of Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK, including the right to vote.
	However, it was considered appropriate to restrict this right in electoral law to "qualifying" Commonwealth citizens. A qualifying Commonwealth citizen is an individual who has leave to enter or remain in the UK or does not require such leave under Section 4 of the Representation of the People Act 1983.
	I refer the noble Lord to the answer Lord McNally gave to him on 20 July 2010, Official Report, col. WA 192.

Elections: Voting System

Lord McAvoy: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Wallace of Tankerness on 20 July (HL Deb, col 911), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the letter by Mr Tom Aitcheson about the date of the referendum on the alternative vote in Scotland.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: I have arranged for a copy of Mr Aitchison's letter and the Secretary of State for Scotland's response to be placed in the House Library.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 19 July (WA 164) about the minutes of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Research Licence Committee meeting on 19 May, why the HFEA noted that the creation of embryos with materials not described in the initial licence application would be necessary or desirable for achieving the principal aims of research in the licence in accordance with paragraph 3A and line 4 of paragraph 3(1) of Schedule 2 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as mentioned in paragraph 3 of item 2 of the minutes.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that its Research Licence Committee made its decision that the research is "necessary or desirable", as required by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended), in light of the application made.
	There is nothing further I can to add to the determination of the licence committee that is published on the HFEA's website at http://guide. hfea.gov.uk/guide/InspectionReport.aspx?Code=17&s=l&&nav=2.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 7 January 2008 (WA 150), how the annual number of registered sperm and egg donors for treatment has varied since 2006; and whether there is regional variation in the availability of sperm and egg donors.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the numbers of new registered sperm and egg donors, each year since 1992, are published on its website at http://www.hfea.gov.uk/3411.html. A copy has also been placed in the Library. The HFEA has also advised that it does not hold information on the regional variations in the availability of sperm and egg donors.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage companies to meet commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Existing policies to help businesses reduce emissions include practical advice on energy efficiency through the Carbon Trust and Business Link. The Carbon Trust also provides financial support through interest-free loans and the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme for energy efficient investments.
	In the future, it is our intention that businesses will be eligible for the green deal. The green deal will enable financing for energy efficiency improvements at no up-front cost to the end user, with repayments made via energy bills. Provisions for this will brought forward through the energy Bill. We expect the green deal to be in place by 2012.

Energy: Renewables

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they will give to the development of small-scale biomass generation.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Both small and large-scale biomass electricity generation is eligible for support under the Renewables Obligation, at a range of support rates, and we announced on 27 July that support for most biomass technologies will be grandfathered from the point of accreditation. This will provide long-term certainty and clarity to the financial sector and the renewables industry that it can invest in biomass with confidence.
	In addition, anaerobic digestion plants up to 5MW are eligible for the feed-in tariff. AD plants above 500kW are eligible for 9 pence per kilowatt hour while smaller, farm scale (<500 kilowatt) projects receive a tariff of 11.5 pence per kilowatt hour. This support is grandfathered and index-linked and is in addition to any revenue received from the sale of electricity, which has a floor price of 3p/kWh.
	This Government are fully committed to taking action on renewable heat; this is a crucial part of ensuring we meet our renewables targets, cutting carbon and ensuring energy security. The Government are considering responses to the Renewable Heat Incentive consultation and will set out detailed proposals on how to take forward action on renewable heat through the Spending Review.
	In addition, support is available for farmers and rural enterprises through the European Union's Rural Development Programme. Grants are available to develop energy projects or small-scale on-farm renewable energy technologies. This includes anaerobic digestion and the installation of biomass-fuelled heat boilers and combined heat and power units.

Energy: Renewables

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received on the impact on jobs of a delay in the announcement about the renewable heat incentive.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government are fully committed to taking action on renewable heat; this is a crucial part of ensuring we meet our renewables targets, cutting carbon and ensuring energy security. The Government are considering responses to the renewable heat incentive consultation and will set out detailed proposals on how to take forward action on renewable heat through the spending review.
	The Government have received a number of representations from those working in the renewables industry, expressing concern that the lack of a firm commitment on the renewable heat incentive proposals is having an impact on jobs.

Energy: Wind Turbines

Lord Williams of Elvel: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to reimburse National Grid plc for its outlays in connecting inshore and offshore wind turbines to the England and Wales high voltage transmission network.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government do not meet the cost of connecting renewable (or other) generation projects. Those costs are met by the charges paid by network users to National Grid under the supervision of Ofgem.

Engineering and Manufacturing

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills intends to intervene in the takeover offer for Tomkins, a United Kingdom engineering and manufacturing group.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Any proposed takeover of Tomkins is primarily a matter for the companies concerned subject to review by the relevant competition authorities. I currently have no information to suggest that an intervention would be appropriate in this proposed transaction.

Flood Risk (Cross Border Areas) Regulations 2010

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Solway Tweed Cross Border Advisory Group will (a) be paid salaries, allowances and pensions, and (b) have a secretariat, as a result of the Flood Risk (Cross Border Areas) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1102).

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Administrative arrangements for the Solway Tweed Cross Border Advisory Group are not yet finalised. We do not, however, expect the requirements on the group to be much more onerous than required for other areas. The group will be made up of individuals from organisations with existing responsibilities for implementation of the Flood Risk Regulations 2009, Flood Risk (Cross Border Areas) Regulations 2010 and the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009, and we would expect any additional administrative costs to be minimal.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 19 July (WA 167), and in the context of Questions HL2017 and HL2020 tabled on 10 February about the letter published by Professor Chester Douglass and the non-publication of his study on fluoride and osteosarcoma, whether South Central Strategic Health Authority followed normal scientific practice in citing as evidence a study which had not yet been published, and a letter which reported the results of that study, without making clear the status of such documents.

Earl Howe: I understand that South Central Strategic Health Authority included references in its consultation document from which the status of these documents could be established.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to my noble friend directly. I will also place a copy in the Library of the House.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of Communities and Local Government; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Baroness Hanham: For websites operated by or on behalf of our agencies and NDPBs please refer to the answer given to the honourable Member for West Bromwich East on 16 June 2010, Official Report, col. 448W.
	The department does not hold the required information on costs and website hits centrally and this could only be provided at disproportionate cost. In line with web standards TG128 and TG116 we will publish this information routinely for this financial year for agency and NDPB sites open on or after April 1 2011.
	The numbers of websites the department has closed over the last three years are:
	2007-08-20 sites; 2008-09-12 sites; and2009-10-5 sites.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Department of Energy and Climate Change; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Department of Energy and Climate Change was created on 3 October 2008, and its official corporate website (http://www.decc.gov.uk/) was launched on 23 February 2009.
	Outlined in the table below are the number of websites, costs and page impressions for the department and its agencies. Where applicable, figures include both staff and non-staff costs.
	In line with industry standards and COI guidance TGI 16, the number of page impressions has been reported as a measure of the volume of site usage. This is a more reliable measure than the number of "hits", which would also include requests for additional files associated with a web page that the user has not directly requested.
	The department closed 15 websites in 2009-10 and has closed nine more since.
	Department of Energy and Climate Change www.decc.gov.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: Nil £73,940 £534,800 
			 Page Impressions Nil 286,629 4,536,915 
		
	
	CHP Focus http://chp.decc.gov.uk/cms
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £10,000 £10,000 £10,000 
			 Page Impressions 9,864 102,716 83,730 
		
	
	Oil and Gas Portal www.og.decc.gov.uk and Energy Infrastructure Portal https://www.og.decc.gov.uk/EIP/pages/help.htm
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: Nil £25,000 £25,000 
			 Page Impressions Nil Not available 1,076,986 
		
	
	National Policy Statements consultation https://www.energynpsconsultation.decc.gov.uk/
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: Nil Nil £119,203 
			 Page Impressions Nil Nil 243,782 
		
	
	Managing Radioactive Waste Safely http://mrws.decc.gov.uk/
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: Nil Nil £6,800 
			 Page Impressions Nil Nil 14,669 
		
	
	Planning Renewables www.planningrenewables.org.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £22,105 £66,212.75 £15,715 
			 Page Impressions Nil Nil 56,082 
		
	
	PILOT www.pilottaskforce.co.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £2,395 £95 £8,197 
			 Page Impressions Unavailable 220,635 529,524 
		
	
	UK Renewables www.ukrenewables.com
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: Nil Unavailable Unavailable 
			 Page Impressions Nil 7,889 55,977 
		
	
	AVOID www.avoid.uk.net
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: Nil £11,866 £24,223 
			 Page Impressions Nil 8,030 28,110 
		
	
	Electricity Networks Strategy Group www.ensg.gov.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: Nil £10,000 £10,000 
			 Page Impressions Nil 83,648 97,000 
		
	
	RIMNET www.rimnet.gov.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £15,000 £15,000 £15,000 
			 Page Impressions Unavailable Unavailable Unavailable 
		
	
	ACTONCO2 http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/actonco2/home.html
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: Nil £141,433 £205,991 
			 Page Impressions Nil 2,165,618 4,393,055 
		
	
	HFCCAT www.Hfccat-demo.org
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £8,228 £791 £791 
			 Page Impressions 18,340 22,466 18,874 
		
	
	Nuclear Decommissioning Authority www.nda.gov.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £83,090 £108,037 £84,879 
			 Page Impressions 4,977,131 7,391,546 5,044,508 
		
	
	The Coal Authority www.coal.gov.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £39,880 £56,619 £72,271 
			 Page Impressions 400,000 400,000 437,000 
		
	
	The Carbon Trust www.carbontrust.co.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £322,632 £296,774 £326,617 
			 Page Impressions 5,679,217 5,696,103 6,955,192 
		
	
	Energy Saving Trust www.est.org.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £578,451 £655,938 £581,575 
			 Page Impressions 18,427,288 21,534,550 23,031,639 
		
	
	Committee on Climate Change www.theccc.org.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: Nil £32,769 £24,710 
			 Page Impressions Nil 164,374 307,026 
		
	
	Civil Nuclear Police Authority www.cnpa.police.uk/
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website:  £1,850 £2,475 
			 Page Impressions 7,712 20,679 19,043 
		
	
	CoRWM www.corwm.org.uk
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £14,000 £34,000 £6,000 
			 Page Impressions Nil 44,908 64,690 
		
	
	Energy Technology Scheme www.eca.gov.uk/etl
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Costs of maintaining the website: £160,828 £228,453 £145,301 
			 Page Impressions 1,277,318 1,310,641 1,277,318 
		
	
	The number of websites closed by the department in the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  FY07/08 FY08/09 FY09/10 
			 Number of DECC websites closed Nil Nil 15

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The information requested is included in the tables below.
	
		
			 (a) Website numbers and costs 
			 Agency No of websites they run Costs 2007-08 Costs 2008-09 Costs 2009-10 
			 Animal Health 1 approx £14K approx £14K approx £14K 
			 Cefas 20 - £5,757 £5,916 
			 Fera 160 websites (including those on behalf of other organisations and for projects funded by customers and EU projects) approximately £36,000 approximately £36,000 approximately £36,000 
			 Rural Payments Agency 1 £11,857 £12,118 £12,482 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency 1 £10,629.71 £15,077.50 £15,077.50 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate 1 approximately £37,000 approximately £37,000 approximately £37,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of hits 
			 Agency Hits 2007-08 Hits 2008-09 Hits 2009-10 
			 Animal Health - - 750,000 total hits (individual page loads) per month, with approximately 16,000 total unique visitors per month. 
			 Cefas  559,462 559,612 
			 Fera1 820,895 1,021,292 1,265,799 
			 Rural Payments Agency2 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency 5,308,707 5,958,281 5,609,374 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate 4,895,436 6,363,493 12,328,995 
		
	
	Notes 1 The figures provided by Fera are for visitor numbers rather than "hits". Depending on the nature of the site, visitor numbers or "unique users" can be a more accurate statistical measure of a website's usage. 2 RPA is unable to measure web hits as the website structure does not support a counter mechanism
	In line with new cross-government web standards financial and usage data will be published routinely for all agency sites from 1 April 2011.
	
		
			 (b) Number of websites closed 
			 Agency No of sites closed in 2007-08 No of sites closed in 2008-09 No of sites closed in 2009-10 
			 Animal Health 0 0 0 
			 Cefas 0 0 0 
			 Fera - - Four project-specific sites have been closed during the overall timeframe 
			 Rural Payments Agency 0 0 0 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency - - - 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate 0 0 Two websites were closed in June 2010 and the information moved to the VMD website

Government Departments: Websites

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Department of Health; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Earl Howe: The department has one agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA operates four websites:
	1. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk)
	2. The General Practice Research Database (www.gprd.com)
	3. Yellow Card (www.yellowcard.gov.uk)
	4. British Pharmacopoeia (www.pharmacopoeia.co.uk)
	The cost for maintaining these websites during the financial period 2009-10 was £230,731.00.
	The number of unique visits each website received for the financial period 2009-10 was:
	1. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency: 2,101,304
	2. The General Practice Research Database: 27,209
	3. Yellow Card: 37,890
	4. British Pharmacopoeia: 49,618
	The total number of websites closed in each of the last three years is not available. However, since June 2007 the department has closed 200 websites to meet its obligations under Transformational Government. The department is committed to closing a further 42 by the Cabinet Office deadline of July 2011.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Department for Transport; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Earl Attlee: Agencies of the department are required to measure website costs and website usage data in line with the guidance issued by the Central Office of Information, Measuring Website Costs (TG128) and Measuring Website Usage (TG116) starting in this financial year from 1 April 2010, with collation of data at year end. Cost and usage data for agency sites for the last three years is not available centrally and cannot be calculated without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The number of agency websites closed by the department in each of the last three years is six in 2007-08, 10 in 2008-09 and 13 in 2009-10.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Wales Office; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Wales Office operates an English and Welsh website: www.walesoffice.gov.uk and www.swyddfa.cymru.gov.uk.
	(a) The cost of maintaining the websites is £6,936 per annum.
	(b) Information on the number of hits received is only available from 2008.
	The combined number of page hits for 2008-09 was 71,853.
	The combined number of page hits for 2009-10 was 64,974.
	The Wales Office has not closed any websites over the last three years.

Government Departments: Work Placements

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any departments operate a policy of discrimination on the grounds of race and gender in appointments to work placements; and, if so, which departments.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Whereas positive discrimination is prohibited in employment, some departments, where it is appropriate, do take "positive action" (which is permitted) such as hosting interns and work placements as part of positive action programmes to promote the Civil Service as a good employer. However, information on these programmes is not collated centrally.

Health Food Stores

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the conclusion of the Health Food Manufacturers' Association that sales and jobs in health food stores are at risk from European Union legislation.

Earl Howe: The Health Food Manufacturers' Association carried out an assessment in 2009 of their members' views on the impact of setting maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements, according to provisions of Article 5 of the EU food supplements directive. The European Commission has not proposed any maximum levels as yet and has indicated that discussions will continue at European Union working group level later in 2010. It is not currently possible to assess the actual implications for industry of setting maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals. An impact assessment, which will include economic impact to United Kingdom businesses, will be completed once the European Commission's draft proposals are published. The impact assessment will form part of a public consultation on the proposals.

Health: Allergic Disease

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government how, in the light of the recent report by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists, Allergy Services: Still Not Meeting the Unmet Need, the needs of those living with allergic disease will be planned for and met in the National Health Service.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how services for those with complex allergic disease who do not have adequate access to secondary and tertiary specialist allergy services for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning will be distributed fairly.

Earl Howe: The recent report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists made recommendations which clinical leaders across the health service should now consider carefully, and they need to review whether allergy services should be commissioned locally or regionally, depending on patient need.
	The White Paper, Equity and Excellence-Liberating the NHS, published on 12 July 2010, includes our future intentions for the commissioning of specialised services. It proposes that the NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for commissioning national and regional specialised services. At a local level, it is the intention that power and responsibility for commissioning services will be devolved to local consortia of general practitioner (GP) practices, to best meet the needs of local people.
	Following the White Paper, there followed a further consultation and engagement document, Liberating the NHS: Commissioning for Patients-Consultation of Proposals, published on 22 July 2010 on how we should implement the proposals set out in the White Paper. This included a question about the future of specialised services and its most appropriate level of commissioning. The consultation remains open until 11 October 2010.

Health: Alternative Medicine

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of European Union legislation, acupuncturists and herbal and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners will be able to continue to practise after April 2011.

Earl Howe: European directive 2001/83/EC, as amended by the directive on traditional herbal medicinal products (directive 2004/24/EC), does not prevent acupuncturists, herbal practitioners and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners from continuing to practise after April 2011. However, the directive confirms that, following expiry of transitional protection in April 2011, manufactured herbal medicines placed on the market are required to have either a marketing authorisation or traditional herbal registration. This issue was explored in the Department of Health consultation on whether, and if so how, to regulate these practitioners. This consultation closed on 16 November 2009, with 6,669 responses. The Government are now assessing the responses to that consultation before making a decision on the best way to take this matter forward.

Health: Asthma

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider regularly reviewing the level of inhaled steroids prescribed to asthma patients to ensure they are not being over-treated.

Earl Howe: General practitioners (GPs) taking part in the quality and outcomes framework are expected to review every patient with asthma at least once every 15 months to check on their treatment and ensure that their asthma is well controlled. This check should include a review of existing treatment, including inhaled corticosteroids, and we would expect GPs in doing so to have regard to guidance published by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. All healthcare professionals ultimately have a role to play in ensuring that the goals of asthma treatment are met so that patients can lead symptom-free lives.

Health: Asthma

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to encourage general practitioners to conduct regular asthma reviews with patients; and, if so, how such reviews will be measured.

Earl Howe: It is recommended in the British Guideline on the Management of Asthma that all people with asthma have a regular review to ensure that their asthma is well controlled, that they know how to use their inhalers and have a personal asthma action plan which tells them what to do if their asthma worsens. The same national clinical guideline makes clear that proactive structured review is associated with a reduced exacerbation rate and days lost from normal activity. It is for general practitioners (GPs) to determine how they manage individual patients, in line with evidence-based clinical guidelines.
	The department encourages GPs to follow best-practice guidelines by creating financial incentives such as the quality and outcomes framework (QOF), which is part of the GP contract. Almost all GP practices report on the extent to which they are undertaking regular reviews of their patients since 2004 when reviews became an indicator in QOF. In 2008-09, 78.5 per cent of all patients received such a review at least once every 15 months for their asthma.

Health: Costs

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 12 July (WA 100), how many members of the families of employed and self-employed persons there are on the United Kingdom's list maintained for the purposes of calculating refunds of sickness and maternity costs under Article 94 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 574/72 for each of the European Economic Area member states.

Earl Howe: The following table shows the number of family members of employed persons currently holding valid and registered E109 forms, as of 27 July 2010:
	
		
			 Member state Number of forms issued by the United Kingdom and registered in the member state listed 
			 Austria 21 
			 Belgium 41 
			 Czech Republic 22 
			 France 657 
			 Germany 77 
			 Greece 10 
			 Hungary 6 
			 Ireland 3 
			 Italy 7 
			 Luxembourg 0 
			 Poland 2,076 
			 Portugal 1 
			 Slovakia 2 
			 Spain 95 
			 Switzerland 1 
			 The Netherlands 8 
			 The Rep of Cyprus 2 
			 Total 3,029 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The member state competent for the cost of healthcare issues E109 forms to provide healthcare cover for the families of insured workers who live/work in that member state but whose families live in another member state.
	2. Countries not listed currently do not have E109 forms from the UK.
	3. The form E109 provides healthcare cover for the dependants of workers where the workers live in a different member state to their dependants or family members. The country where the worker is employed and pays tax and social security contributions covers the cost of the healthcare for the worker's dependants.

Health: Drugs

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidelines they are giving to the medical profession in the light of recent comments by Professor Steven Field, Chairman of Council of the Royal College of General Practitioners, that benzodiazepines and tranquillisers should be prescribed "only for a few days" because of the risks of addiction.

Earl Howe: Professor Field's comments are consistent with the British National Formulary's guidance to prescribers on the use of benzodiazepines and tranquillisers.

Health: Paediatric Continence Services

Baroness Wilkins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how paediatric continence services will be affected by local NHS restructuring plans.

Earl Howe: The White Paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, published on 12 July 2010, sets out our proposals for transforming the quality of commissioning by devolving decision-making to local consortia of general practitioner (GP) practices. GP consortia will be supported in their commissioning decisions, by the establishment of an independent NHS Commissioning Board. Liberating the NHS: Commissioning for Patients, published on 22 July, provides further information on the intended arrangements for GP commissioning, providing the basis for fuller consultation and engagement with primary care professionals and the public. Copies of both documents have already been placed in the Library.
	We intend that consortia will be responsible for commissioning the great majority of National Health Service services. Commissioning by GP consortia will mean that the redesign of patient pathways and local services is always clinically led and based on more effective dialogue and partnerships with other health and care professionals.
	We will expect consortia to involve relevant health and social care professionals from all sectors in helping design care pathways or care packages that achieve more integrated delivery of care, higher quality, and more efficient use of NHS resources. We will be working with the NHS and professional bodies in the transition to the new arrangements to promote multi-professional involvement.
	In addition, further details on the Government's intentions for oversight of commissioning decisions can be found in the consultation document Local Democratic Legitimacy in Health, published on 22 July and a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. This sets out how local government will have an enhanced responsibility for promoting partnership working and integrated delivery of public services across the NHS, social care, public health and other services. This will include providing a framework through which GP consortia, alongside other partners, will support improvements in children's health and well-being.
	The NHS Commissioning Board will also host some clinical commissioning networks, for example for targeted health services for ill and disabled children, to pool specialist expertise.

Health: Physical Activity

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role physical activity plays in improving public health.

Earl Howe: Evidence shows that increasing levels of participation in physical activity is a key part of improving public health. There is strong evidence for the many health benefits from being physically active, including a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and to achieve a healthy weight. The short-term benefits of increased physical activity extend to better overall mental health and well-being.

Higher Education: Graduates

Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students leaving their first full-time undergraduate courses are (a) switching to another full-time course, (b) switching from full-time to part-time study, (c) restarting their original course within three years, (d) entering employment, or (e) going on to other destinations.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: There were 318,435 UK-domiciled full-time undergraduate students enrolled at UK higher education institutions who had a known reason for leaving in the 2008-09 academic year. Of these students 3,265 (1 per cent) transferred to a full-time or part-time course at another UK institution and 1,000 (0.3 per cent) left without completing their course and entered employment. The department does not hold information on those students who switched to another full-time course at the same institution, switched from full-time to part-time study or restarted their original course within three years of leaving.
	The numbers of UK-domiciled full-time undergraduate enrolments by reason for leaving are shown in the table below as an alternative. Figures are taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record and are provided for the 2008-09 academic year. Information for the 2009-10 academic year will become available from HESA in January 2011.
	
		
			 UK-Domiciled Full-time Undergraduate Enrolments by Reason for Leaving(1)UK Higher Education Institutions(2)Academic Year 2008/09 
			 Reason for Leaving Number % of Total 
			 Successful completion of course 271,945 85.4 
			 Academic failure/left in bad standing 13,490 4.2 
			 Transferred to another institution 3,265 1.0 
			 Health reasons 1,585 0.5 
			 Death 145 0.0 
			 Financial reasons 1,170 0.4 
			 Other personal reasons and dropped out 14,405 4.5 
			 Written off after lapse of time 2,730 0.9 
			 Exclusion 785 0.2 
			 Gone into employment 1,000 0.3 
			 Other 7,170 2.3 
			 Completion of course-result unknown 745 0.2 
			 Total known 318,435 100.0 
		
	
	Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record
	Notes: Figures are based on a HESA Standard Registration Population and are rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to total.
	Percentages are based on unrounded figures and are given to one decimal place.
	(I) The table does not include undergraduate enrolments whose reason for leaving was classified as missing or unknown.
	(2) Excludes the Open University.
	The reason for leaving information on the HESA student record should be treated with some caution, because the "Other personal reasons and dropped out" and "Other" fields are used extensively. Institutions are not always able to record the precise reason for leaving. Furthermore, HESA allows only one reason for withdrawal to be recorded. However, it is likely that many students leave for a combination of reasons.

Higher Education: Level 4 Courses

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of level 4 courses in further education colleges.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: A key priority for the Government is to ensure we have a skills system that supports progression. The Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Skills Funding Agency both fund higher level skills in further education colleges to meet the needs of individuals and employers.
	The Government's Strategy for Sustainable Growth, published on 20 July, sets out a commitment to provide incentives to encourage provision and take-up of training in priority areas, including a growth and innovation fund to support sector-based joint investment with employers. The apprenticeship programme will be refocused to prioritise progression to level 3 and higher to help deliver the technician-level skills that the economy needs.
	The Government will also review actions to support progression from further into higher education through vocational as well as academic routes.

Housing

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will amend regulations on houses in multiple occupation to limit liability for compensation of local authorities implementing Article 4 directions before October 2011.

Baroness Hanham: The proposed changes to the planning rules for houses in multiple occupation announced on 17 June included a change to the compensation provisions in relation to the use of Article 4 directions to reduce local authorities' liability.

Housing: Home Purchase

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider applying the system of home purchase in Scotland to England and Wales.

Baroness Hanham: Buyers and sellers in England and Wales are free to choose to adopt the Scottish system of home buying and selling if they wish to do so. However, we have no plans to make such an arrangement compulsory.

Human Rights

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the comments of Mr Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, on juvenile justice, pre-trial detention of elected representatives and others, demining of villages and resettlement of refugees in Turkey.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government welcome Mr Hammarberg's recent comments on juvenile justice, pre-trial detention of elected representatives, demining of villages and resettlement of refugees. We consider Mr Hammarberg to be an authority on this subject.

Internet: Broadband

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide home computers and broadband connectivity to children at risk from digital exclusion.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government have supported the home access programme, which is close to providing the expected 270,000 grants to low-income households where children who are eligible qualify for a free computer and/or broadband internet access. It is expected that all the grants will be issued by this summer and there are no plans to extend the scheme. However, a component part of the scheme to provide equipment for those with special needs will continue until around September this year.
	Further funding for digital inclusion will need to be considered within the context of the comprehensive spending review.

Internet: Broadband

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government to which areas Cybermoor Ltd has provided broadband coverage; what has been the level of measured service provision in those areas; at what cost the coverage has been provided; how many customers it has; and whether an independent audit has been carried out on the cost and delivery of the service.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Cybermoor Ltd provides broadband services in Alston Moor, Cumbria and in the South Tyne and Carrshield Valleys, Northumberland. It has approximately 350 customers. The Alston Cybermoor project has been evaluated several times. The details of where to find the evaluations can be found at: http://www.cybermoor.org/index.php?option= com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=825&Itemid=l0.

IRA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will hold a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the alleged murder of churchgoers at the Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church in County Armagh by the IRA.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government have no plans to hold a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the alleged murder of churchgoers at the Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church in County Armagh by the IRA.

Iran

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Iran about the statement by Mr Mohammad Javad Larijani, head of the High Council for Human Rights in Iraq, that the sentence of death by stoning on Mrs Sakineh Mohammad Ashtiani has not been rescinded as claimed by the Iranian Embassy in London.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: We are not aware of the statement referred to by Lord Corbett. However, we remain concerned about Ms Ashtiani's fate and have taken every opportunity to raise this case with the Iranian Government both bilaterally and through the EU, including on 19 July when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Alistair Burt, met with the Iranian ambassador. We will continue to monitor the case and remind Iran of its obligations as a party to the various UN human rights conventions.

Iran

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the report published on 9 June by Amnesty International stating that 5,000 protestors against the result of the Iranian presidential election in June 2009 have been arrested and held without charge; and whether they have discussed that matter with the Government of Iran.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The UK is concerned by the ongoing detention of a number of individuals arrested following the protests in Tehran in June 2009 and welcomes Amnesty International's efforts to draw attention to this. We continue to highlight our concerns both bilaterally and through the EU. On 12 June 2010, in a Statement, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary expressed his concern for the deterioration of human rights in Iran since the elections, and called on the Government of Iran to guarantee to their citizens the basic human rights and freedoms that they are entitled to, and that they are committed to as a member of the international community.

Ismail Besikci

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will arrange for British and European Union observers to be present at the trial of Dr Ismail Besikci on 28 July in Istanbul.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: There were no UK or EU observers present at Dr Ismail Besikci's trial.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made or will make representations to the Government of Israel about the members of the Palestinian Legislative Council who are facing deportation in east Jerusalem.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: We regard east Jerusalem as occupied territory. Its Palestinian population has rights under the Geneva Conventions. Forcibly transferring people out of the city for political reasons, as appears to be the intention in this case, is illegal. Such actions erode trust between the parties at a crucial time. The UK, through the EU, has raised the matter with the Israeli Government.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel about the transfer of Palestinians from east Jerusalem as a result of house demolitions in Silwan.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The UK has a strong record of lobbying hard on issues relating to house demolitions and settlement building. East Jerusalem is regarded as occupied territory under international law-we do not recognise Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem. House demolitions or the eviction of Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalem, such as the recent evictions which took place in the Old City, are deeply unhelpful. We view any attempts to change the facts on the ground as a serious provocation likely to raise tensions, as well as being harmful to the peace process and, of course, in contravention of international law. We strongly support the statement of 26 July 2010 by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton to this effect.

Kabul Conference

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Statement repeated by Lord Howell of Guildford on 21 July (HL Deb, cols 979-82), why the Statement did not refer to the Kabul conference communiqué's decisions on the "centrality of women's rights, including political, economic and social equality to the future of Afghanistan".

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Promoting and protecting human rights forms an important part of our work in supporting the Afghan Government to "promote a more inclusive political process", as my honourable friend Alistair Burt said during the Statement. Progress made on human rights in Afghanistan since 2001 must not be lost, and the importance of involving women in decisions about the future of the country is fully recognised. As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 21 July, "there is tremendous support for women's rights in Afghanistan, and we must continue to be true to that in how we conduct ourselves, including in any political settlement".

Kabul Conference

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to "assist all national ministries and sub- national bodies in implementing their responsibilities under the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan" under the Kabul communiqué of 20 July.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The UK is fully supportive of the Afghan Government in their work to protect and promote women's rights. We are supporting the establishment of a Human Rights Support Unit in the Ministry of Justice. This unit will strengthen the capacity of the Afghan Government to fulfil their human rights obligations. Its mandate is to co-ordinate human rights policy and legislation across the Afghan Government. The unit will be instrumental in assisting ministries and line ministries in implementing their human rights responsibilities, including under the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan.

Late Payments Directive

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on revising the late payments directive.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: A revised late payment directive, largely consistent with current UK legislation, was published in April 2009. Negotiations between member states have been ongoing since then.
	The Minister of State for Business and Enterprise wrote in July 2010 to the chair of the House of Lords European Union Select Committee and the chair of the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee, providing an update on negotiations and explaining the UK negotiating position.
	The current text provides suppliers with the certainty of an upper limit on payment periods for contracts with public authorities while maintaining business-to-business contractual freedoms (which can be vital for new and growing businesses seeking new markets).

Natural England

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 12 July (WA 107), how many employees of Natural England work as parliamentary advisers or are responsible for external affairs.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Natural England has two members of staff who deal with inquiries from Parliament. The external affairs function overall employs 60 full-time equivalent staff in support of Natural England's statutory general purpose under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, including the promotion of the natural environment and the protection of biodiversity, and the promotion of access to the countryside and open spaces.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House all correspondence they have had with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission since 11 May.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: All ministerial and official letters between the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) since 11 May 2010 will be placed in the Library of the House.
	These are:
	Letter dated 11 May 2010 from NIO official to Chief Commissioner;
	Letter dated 13 May 2010 from the Chief Commissioner to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland;
	Letter dated 17 May 2010 from the Secretary of State's Private Office acknowledging receipt of correspondence from the Chief Commissioner;
	Letter dated 3 June 2010 from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to the Chief Commissioner responding to the 13 May letter;
	Letter dated 7 June from the Chief Commissioner to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland;
	Letter dated 21 June 2010 from NIO official to the Chief Executive;
	Letter dated 25 June 2010 from NIO Director-General to the Chief Commissioner;
	Letter dated 6 July from NIO official to Chief Executive;
	Letter dated 6 July from the Minister of State for Northern Ireland to the Chief Commissioner in reply to 7 June letter;
	Letter dated 8 July 2010 from Chief Executive to NIO official in reply to 25 June letter.

Ofsted

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Ofsted school inspectors there are.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons are directly employed by Ofsted; and what is their salary range.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many freelance staff and contractors are retained by Ofsted; and what are the payment scales for them.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost of the salaries and fees paid to Ofsted school inspectors in the last three years.

Lord Hill of Oareford: These are matters for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the noble Lord and copies of her replies have been placed in the Library.

Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role Communities and Local Government will play in delivering the participation legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Baroness Hanham: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is a founder member of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), alongside the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and the Mayor of London. OPLC will take responsibility for management and development of the Olympic park and venues in legacy, when the park is handed over in 2013. OPLC's role will be to ensure that the use of the park venues post-Games is maximised for both elite and community use. This will leave a legacy of excellent sporting venues, including a Stadium and Aquatics Centre, in the heart of East London.
	DCMS takes the lead on sports participation for government. Since taking office two months ago, the new coalition Government have already taken three steps that will increase participation by young people in sport:
	to increase sport's share of National Lottery funding to 20 per cent, which was envisaged when the lottery was set up;
	the Secretary of State at DCMS has announced plans for a new Olympic-style school sport competition; and
	Government have asked sport's national governing bodies to increase to 30 per cent the amount of money that they commit to grass-roots sport from their broadcast deals.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consult Members of the House of Commons on the desirability of direct public access to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government have no immediate plans to do so.

Railways: Bonuses

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they voted at the annual general meeting of Network Rail to support or oppose the payment of executive bonuses.

Earl Attlee: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State, as the special member of Network Rail, did not vote at the company's annual general meeting.

Railways: Grand Central Railway Company

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed with the Grand Central Railway Company the reliability of its service and the cancellation of trains; and what is the earliest date on which its franchise in the north-east of England can be terminated.

Earl Attlee: The Grand Central Railway Company is an open access operator and not a franchise operator. The performance of this operator is a matter for Network Rail as the owner of the rail infrastructure, and the Office of Rail Regulation, which granted it the access rights. As it is an open access operator, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport has no powers to terminate its operation.

Railways: Value for Money

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Department for Transport's Rail Value for Money study team does not accept electronic submissions.

Earl Attlee: The Rail Value for Money study team accepts submissions in all formats. Electronic submissions should be sent to alan.thornton@dft.gsi.gov.uk.

Roads: Congestion

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are informing people living in London areas with high traffic congestion of the consequent risks to their health.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what health advice they are giving to people living in London areas with high traffic congestion.

Earl Howe: The department does not provide advice on the effects of air pollutants on health on a location-specific basis. There is no reason to think that the effects of exposure to traffic-generated air pollutants on health in London would be qualitatively different from those in Birmingham. However, a wealth of advice is provided on the effects of air pollutants on health. The Department of Health takes advice on this subject from the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP). This committee's website provides access to detailed reports on the effects of air pollutants on health. Emphasis has been placed on the effects of long-term exposure to particles (traffic is a key source) on the development of cardiovascular disease: a detailed report is available on the COMEAP website. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the lead department on air quality and provides advice via the Defra banding system for air quality. This system relates levels of pollution (indicated by a series of bands from 1 to 10) to effects on health. Such information is available on the Defra website. This advice applies to people living in areas affected by traffic congestion and to those living in less busy areas.

Roads: Speed Cameras

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they estimate will be the number of additional fatalities and serious injuries resulting from a suspension of fixed speed cameras in England and Wales; what will be the savings from a suspension; and how much revenue will be lost to HM Treasury as a consequence of such a suspension.

Earl Attlee: No estimate has been made about the number of additional fatalities and serious injuries which would result from any suspension of fixed speed cameras in England and Wales. Neither have estimates been made of the changes of revenue to HM Treasury.
	The Government have already announced that they will not be providing any further central funding for new fixed cameras. It is for highway authorities and the police to decide how they tackle local road safety problems, including making decisions about the intensity of deployment of fixed speed cameras.

Sarfraz Ibrahim

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Tankerness on 27 July (WA 347), whether the Crown Prosecution Service referred the case of Sarfraz Ibrahim to the Employment Policy and Practice Division and the Civil Service Pensions Division of the Cabinet Office; when it became aware that forfeiture of his pensions benefits was a possibility; and whether the Crown Prosecution Service decides to apply to the Minister for the Civil Service to take such action on his benefits, or whether the Minister decides independently.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Minister for the Civil Service decides whether a member has forfeited their benefits under the Civil Service pension arrangements. In practice, the Scheme Management Executive (formerly the Civil Service Pensions Division) at the Cabinet Office liaises between the Minister and Departments on individual cases.
	The Sarfraz Ibrahim case will shortly be referred to the Minister for the Civil Service for his consideration.

Schools: Academies

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the legal and other costs of transferring ownership of (a) an infant school, (b) a primary school, and (c) a secondary school from a local authority or church foundation to an academy trust.

Lord Hill of Oareford: We recognise that schools which apply to convert to academy status will incur costs for services such as legal advice. The impact assessment completed for the Academies Bill provides a one-off cost of £78,000, which is an estimate of the average cost to the school. The department provides a flat-rate grant, normally £25,000, as a contribution to these costs for outstanding schools which are converting to academy status.

Schools: Academies

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to transfer debts from an existing maintained school to the local authority or the Department for Education if the school becomes an academy trust.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Schools with a budget deficit that wish to convert to academy status may still do so, although if they have a significant deficit their application may be postponed until they have managed this down to a reasonable level. When a school with a deficit is approved to convert, the department will pay the local authority an amount equivalent to the deficit. The Young People's Learning Agency, the agency responsible for funding academies, will recoup the amount through a reduction in the recurrent funding paid to the academy. Detailed guidance will be provided on the procedure to be followed by the local authority.

Schools: Academies

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what requirements there will be for academy trusts to make provision off site for permanently excluded pupils.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Academy trusts, like maintained schools, are not required to make off-site provision for permanently excluded pupils. From the sixth school day of a permanent exclusion, the local authority is statutorily responsible for ensuring that suitable full-time education is provided to pupils of compulsory school age regardless of whether they are excluded from an academy or maintained school.
	Academy trusts are responsible, however, for providing education during a fixed period exclusion. Where a pupil is given a fixed period exclusion of a duration of six school days or longer, the academy has a duty to arrange suitable full-time educational provision from and including the sixth school day of the exclusion. This does not apply to pupils of non-compulsory school age.

Schools: Academies

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the information given to parents of children in academies about their awareness of the implications of taking level 2 BTEC science instead of GCSEs.

Lord Hill of Oareford: It is up to all schools, including academies, to provide parents and students with appropriate information regarding qualifications. We have not made any assessment of this information.
	The Government want to see more pupils engage and excel in science, including increasing numbers studying science at GCSE. This will ensure more young people consider taking physics, chemistry and biology at A-level. We will be looking at accountability arrangements to make sure there is proper recognition of the key subjects which all pupils need to learn throughout their time at school, including science, and make sure there are no perverse incentives that limit engagement, attainment and progression.

Schools: Literacy and Numeracy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to improve basic literacy and numeracy among school leavers.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government are committed to ensuring that children develop high-quality literacy and numeracy skills. We are looking at ways to strengthen the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics in primary schools, in order to provide every child with the best start possible in literacy. We are also currently considering ways to support improvement in mathematics. We have committed £89 million for 2010-11 to continue the Every Child suite of programmes, which provide early intervention for those children who are struggling most with both literacy and numeracy. We will set out our proposals for improving standards in literacy and numeracy in the forthcoming education White Paper.

Schools: National Curriculum

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will begin their review of the national curriculum; who will be invited to comment; how (a) Members of the House of Lords, (b) Members of Parliament, (c) concerned organisations, and (d) members of the public, will be able to submit comments and evidence to it; what the proposed timescale for submitting evidence will be; whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all the evidence submitted; and when they expect to announce their general conclusions.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government have made clear their intention to restore the national curriculum to its original purpose: a core national entitlement organised around subject disciplines. We will be announcing further details of our plans in the autumn, including details of the timescales for the review itself, and how and when we will be inviting evidence. We plan to consult a wide range of teachers, academics and other interested parties including Members of this House and Members of Parliament. We will ensure that all the evidence submitted is placed in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.

Sheffield Forgemasters

Lord Young of Norwood Green: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the value for money case for cancelling the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my noble friend Lady Wilcox on 27 July, Official Report cols. WS 150-52.

Sheffield Forgemasters

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what detailed quantitative analysis in the mechanism described by the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in a letter to Pat McFadden and referred to on 22 July (HC Deb, col 590) supported the decision to withdraw the proposed loan to Sheffield Forgemasters.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my noble friend Lady Wilcox on 27 July Official Report cols. WS 150-52.

Sheffield Forgemasters

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what calculation supported the decision to withdraw the proposed loan to Sheffield Forgemasters, as opposed to other loans being considered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my noble friend Lady Wilcox on 27 July Official Report cols. WS 150-52.

Students: Injuries

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 24 March (WS 129-30), what are the reasons for the increase in non-fatal injuries to students between 2003-04 and 2007-08.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The increase is probably due, at least in part, to guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive in 2005. Before then, there was some misunderstanding of the reporting requirements under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Some schools believed that accidents to pupils during organised sports lessons did not have to be reported under RIDDOR.
	In 2005, the Health and Safety Executive published an education information sheet, Incident-reporting in Schools (Accidents, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences), which can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/edis1.pdf. This information sheet said that all accidents that occurred in curriculum sports activities and resulted in pupils being taken to hospital for treatment should be reported.
	The policy on this issue has been reviewed more recently, and the Health and Safety Executive will issue revised guidance to explain that the only sporting accidents that need to be reported are those where there was a lack of supervision, or where equipment was faulty.

Sunday Trading

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek to amend Schedule 4 to the Sunday Trading Act 1994 to extend the right of shop workers not to work on Sunday to distribution workers in the retail sector; and whether any potential increase of Sunday trading hours will be undertaken by primary legislation or an amendment to the Sunday Trading Act 1994 by a legislative reform order.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Schedule 4 to the Sunday Trading Act 1994 has been repealed-similar provisions now form Part 4 of the Employment Rights Act 1996.
	The Government have no plans to extend to distribution workers the rights of shop workers not to work on a Sunday. We believe the current balance of the legislation is right.
	The Government currently have no plans to amend the Sunday Trading Act 1994.

Sunday Trading

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have (a) assessed, and (b) commissioned, into the social implications of relaxing Sunday trading restrictions; and whether they will assess possible effects on (1) parental involvement in children's education, and (2) parent-child contact time, of easing or removing Sunday trading restrictions.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: None. The Government currently have no plans to relax the Sunday trading restrictions in the Sunday Trading Act 1994.

Sunday Trading

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from (a) trade unions, (b) retail organisations, and (c) other groups, on Sunday trading since May.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Since the beginning of May 2010 the Government have received no representations from trade unions on Sunday trading; one from a retail organisation; none from other groups; and two from individuals via their Members of Parliament.

Turkey

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 19 July (WA 182) about the proposed accession of Turkey to the European Union, whether they have made any assessment of Turkey's future population at any likely time of accession; and, if so, what was their conclusion.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Towards the end of the Turkish EU accession negotiations the Commission will conduct an assessment of the potential for migration between Turkey and the EU, and make recommendations for necessary controls. It does not make sense for the Commission to conduct this assessment now, because the negotiations are unlikely to near completion for some years. Meanwhile, the Turkish economy is growing strongly and Turkey is going through rapid change.
	As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister made clear in his speech in Ankara on 27 July 2010, the British Government strongly support progress in Turkey's EU accession process.

UK Investment

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to attract more investment to the United Kingdom.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government see inward investment as a key driver of growth. We are committed to creating the conditions which will make the UK an even more attractive destination for foreign direct investment. For example we are reducing corporation tax, cutting red tape, improving support for research and development, and streamlining the business start-up process, with a sharper and more commercial focus across all government departments. We will ensure that our conduct of foreign policy upgrades support for business.
	UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the government department under the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills tasked to attract a continuing high level of quality foreign direct investment to the UK, and to enhance the competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investments. Subject to decisions by the Government, including in the comprehensive spending review, UKTI plans to deliver further increases in productivity and efficiency, and in its emphasis on assisting high-value investment projects into the UK.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will submit their next report to the United Nations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; and what account they will take of the evidence of non-governmental organisations.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The UK Government are next due to report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in January 2014. The Department for Education is working with key stakeholders including non-government organisations, the devolved Administrations and children and young people in taking forward the UN committee's concluding observations published in October 2008.

Visas

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the arrangements worldwide for applying for entry visas to the United Kingdom on attracting trade, investment and tourism to the United Kingdom; and how the visa arrangements relate to the priorities of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government work closely with industry partners to understand and influence all factors which impact on the UK's ability to attract trade, investment and tourism to the United Kingdom, including visa arrangements. We also take into account external studies on this subject in designing visa policy and operations.
	The UK Border Agency, which is responsible for the UK's visa service, is committed to operating an efficient visa service that facilitates legitimate travel and trade to the UK. The UK's points-based system for work and study offers a clear decision-making process for applicants and officials, with the flexibility to adapt to the changing economic needs of the UK.
	The UK's visa regime is designed to support the drive to attract the brightest and the best to the UK, while ensuring that our borders are secured from illegal immigration and the potential threat of terrorism. We will continue to keep the effectiveness of our arrangements under review.

Visas

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of (a) restrictions on access to the United Kingdom, and (b) the ease of applying for entry visas to the United Kingdom on attracting trade, investment and tourism to the United Kingdom.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: My noble friend Lady Wilcox will write to the noble Viscount and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Voluntary and Community Sector

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 21 July (HL Deb, col 970), which parties have agreed the compact between the Government and the voluntary and community sector; and whether they will place a copy of the compact in the Library of the House.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The compact on relations between Government and the voluntary and community sector in England was agreed between Government and the voluntary and community sector represented by the Compact Working Group in 1998. It was refreshed and relaunched in December 2009 and a copy of the refreshed compact was placed in the Library.

Voluntary Sector: Awards

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost of administering the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service; and what is their assessment of the effectiveness of the process.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is overseen by officials in the Office for Civil Society in the Cabinet Office on behalf of Buckingham Palace. The award's administration and media campaigns are managed under contract by ConsolidatedPR. The cost of this three-year contract is £300,000 per year.
	The contract and work of ConsolidatedPR is regularly reviewed in monthly meetings with the Office for Civil Society, which is extremely satisfied with how the administration of the award is conducted. The media campaigns by ConsolidatedPR have also been evaluated by an independent company, Metrica, which stated that its work illustrated well implemented and proactive public relations campaigns which increased the awareness and profile of the award among the UK public.

Bank of England: Staff

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 20 July (WA 185), whether Bank of England employees seconded to the Financial Services Authority and Financial Services Authority employees seconded to the Bank of England will be employed on the same terms as those with whom they work; and whether that will continue when the Financial Services Authority becomes part of the Bank.

Lord Sassoon: The Government recognise the importance of close working between the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) throughout the transition to the new regime, including through secondments of key staff. The practical details will be for the Bank and the FSA to resolve. Their day-to-day operations are, and will remain, independent from government.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the effect on capital standards of the Bank of International Settlements including minority stakes in bank subsidiaries and investments in unconsolidated financial institutions in calculating the common equity component of tier one banking capital; and what the effect of a 3 per cent leverage ratio will be on the quantitative capital target and systemic risk.

Lord Sassoon: On 26 July 2010 the Group of Governors and Heads of Supervision reached a broad agreement to allow some recognition within group common equity of the minority interest supporting the risks of banking subsidiaries and to allow deductions to be made from common equity for unconsolidated investments in the common equity of financial institutions when the holdings exceed certain thresholds.
	The effect of the deduction from capital of certain minority stakes in bank subsidiaries will be to strengthen the quality of banks' capital, as minority interests represent ownership of a proportion of a subsidiary by third parties and may not be capable of absorbing losses that arise at a parent bank. The effect of the deduction from capital of investments in unconsolidated financial institutions will be to reduce the further double counting of capital in the financial system.
	The objective of the leverage ratio is to develop a simple, transparent, non-risk based measure that is calibrated to act as a credible supplementary measure to the risk-based requirements. The proposed measures have been calibrated on the basis of an extensive quantitative impact study to ensure that the ratio fulfils its backstop function effectively.
	Going forward, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision proposes to use a transition period to assess whether the proposed design and calibration is appropriate over a full credit cycle and for different types of business models.
	Detailed questions about the UK's stance at the BCBS should be directed to the UK representatives; that is, the Bank of England and the FSA.

Banking: Supervision

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the new rules on banking supervision will not be implemented until 2018.

Lord Sassoon: Tougher regulatory standards are essential to strengthen financial stability. However, as agreed by G20 Leaders, the UK is committed to ensure that these new standards are phased in over a timeframe that is consistent with sustained recovery and limits market disruption. The transition periods for most new standards remains to be decided. However, on 26 July 2010 the Group of Governors and Heads of Supervision of the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision (BCBS) reached a broad agreement that the leverage ratio and net stable funding ratio should be phased in gradually, with full implementation by 2018. It proposes to use this transition period to assess whether the proposed design and calibration is appropriate over a full credit cycle and for different types of business models.
	Detailed questions about the UK's stance at the BCBS should be directed to the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority, which represent the UK on the BCBS.

Banks

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on equity recapitalisation and the solvency of pension and insurance schemes of banks paying dividends to shareholders.

Lord Sassoon: According to the Bank of England's latest Financial Stability Report, since December 2009, UK banks have made some progress towards raising capital through increased retention of .income. The Bank of England estimates that excluding loss-making banks, the dividend payout ratio of UK banks was 39 per cent in 2009, compared with an average of 50 per cent between 2005 and 2008. This allowed profitable banks to retain an extra £2 billion of earnings.
	The regulatory monitoring of the solvency of pension funds is undertaken by the Pensions Regulator (tPR). Under its normal procedures, tPR routinely makes assessments of the solvency of defined benefit pension schemes. This includes the effect of corporate actions of banks, or any other defined benefit scheme provider, when recovery plans are submitted in the event a scheme has a deficit.

Bosnia Herzegovina

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make, before and after October 2010, to the government of Bosnia Herzegovina about constitutional reform there.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The British Government are convinced of the importance of constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH). This is now an international legal obligation following the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the Sejdic-Finci case on 22 December 2009. We also believe that constitutional reform is necessary in order to improve political functionality in a way which will allow Bosnia and Herzegovina to make quicker progress towards EU integration. We are disappointed by the absence of committed follow-up within BiH to the ECHR's verdict and urge all Bosnian leaders to work constructively together to resolve their differences on this issue. We will continue to make the case for constitutional reform in our contacts with Bosnian politicians, both before and after elections in October.

British Embassies

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's objective of attracting trade to the United Kingdom of commercial sections of British embassies charging United Kingdom private sector organisations for advice.

Baroness Wilcox: The activities of the commercial sections of British diplomatic missions are carried out by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), a government department jointly under the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. UKTI works in close collaboration with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	UKTI publishes an annual performance and impact monitoring survey report which includes an analysis of UKTI's charging regime. Users of charged for services are asked about their willingness to pay more for those services. Analysis of that user data indicated that over half of the respondents would be willing to pay 50 per cent more for the service, with a further 18 per cent willing to pay 25 per cent more.
	UKTI charges for these services because charging ensures that customers make informed choices about which services they value and how frequently they use them and Her Majesty's Treasury has instructed UKTI to recoup part of running costs of its overseas network and to move towards full cost recovery.

Broadband Services

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the procedures for the procurement of contracts entered into by Manchester City Council for the management of broadband services and Next Generation Access by Manchester Digital Development Agency; and what grants and payments have been paid in each of the last six years from Government departments and agencies to Community Broadband Network Ltd through the Manchester Digital Development Agency.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what investment they have made into delivery of broadband projects and Next Generation Access which have been completed by Manchester City Council; and what part was played in such projects by Community Broadband Network Ltd, Manchester City Council, Manchester Knowledge Capital, the North West Development Agency, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, the Manufacturing Institute, the Centre for Cities and Manchester New Economy.

Baroness Wilcox: As already advised (HL Deb, 29 June 2010, col. 267W), Manchester Digital Development Agency (MDDA) has not received any funding from central government departments or agencies. The Government have not carried out any assessment of MDDA's procurement or project delivery record.

Conditional Fee Agreements (Amendment) Order 2010

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the draft Conditional Fee Agreements (Amendment) Order 2010 will be implemented.

Lord McNally: The previous government attempted to tackle high costs associated with conditional fee agreement success fees in one area only, namely defamation. This government are determined to tackle disproportionate civil costs more generally, and will therefore not be implementing the Draft Conditional fee Agreements (Amendment) Order 2010. As I announced to the House on 26 July 2010 (Official Report, Col. WS 121), we will be consulting in the autumn on the reform of Conditional Fee Agreements in all cases in which they are used. This consultation will take forward the recommendations made by Lord Justice Jackson in his report, Review of Civil Litigation Costs.

Counterfeit Notes and Coins

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the percentage and value of each denomination of sterling coins and notes in circulation that are forgeries; which Government body is responsible for preventing forgeries; what is the annual cost of replacing forgeries with valid coins and notes; and which department covers such costs.

Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England's Annual Report for 2009 reported that counterfeits accounted for just 0.0046 per cent of the 12 billion banknotes sorted in high-speed note sorting machines by members of the note circulation scheme. About 85 per cent of counterfeit notes are taken out of circulation by this method. For the calendar year 2009 there were 566,000 counterfeit banknotes removed from circulation, with a face value of £11.1 million: this marked a 20 per cent fall on 2008. Ninety-five per cent of these were £20 notes.
	For coins, the most recent survey conducted by the Royal Mint found that its sample contained a £1 coin counterfeit rate of 2.81 per cent. This would give an approximate total value of £41 million for counterfeit £1 coins in circulation. The Royal Mint does not currently undertake regular surveys for other denominations. It is widely believed (by the Royal Mint, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and industry partners) that there is not a significant counterfeit issue with any other denominations.
	There are a number of elements to the prevention of counterfeit notes and coins. Issuing authorities are responsible for designing banknotes and coins with appropriate security features, educating the public and retailers about the security features, and working with the cash supply industry to ensure that there are robust systems for the removal of counterfeits from circulation. Local police authorities and the National Central Office for the Suppression of Counterfeit Currency within the Serious Organised Crime Agency are responsible for finding and stopping the criminals involved in the production, distribution and passing of counterfeit notes and coins.
	Counterfeit banknotes and coins are worthless, with the face-value loss being borne by the individual or company deemed to be in possession of the counterfeit at the time of discovery. Issuing authorities do not replace counterfeit notes and coins with genuine notes and therefore do not suffer any face-value loss or replacement costs for their discovery.

Crime Prevention

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they propose to allow police forces to concentrate on investigating and preventing crime rather than dealing with other matters.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government have set out their proposed approach in Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting police and the people. We will replace bureaucratic accountability with democratic accountability. Police officers should be crime fighters, not form writers, so we will take action to allow the police to concentrate on dealing with the public's priorities rather than those set by those in Whitehall. The introduction of police and crime commissioners will make the police accountable to the right people-local communities.
	Our specific measures include:
	reforming the performance management framework for policing by dismantling the key performance indicators that burden police forces; supporting police officers in using their discretion in how crimes and incidents are dealt with by amending health and safety practices that prevent police officers from intervening and protecting the public and returning charging decisions to officers for more minor offences from November 2010; andscrapping the stop and account form in its entirety and reducing the burden of the stop and search procedures. We will also be looking at how we can maximise the use of technology to further reduce the paperwork in policing.
	Finally, we will ask the service to examine its own processes and doctrine, which can lead to unnecessary bureaucracy. Police and crime commissioners will be ultimately responsible for getting the balance right between preserving the information needed to focus on the public's priorities and removing what is inefficient or unnecessary.

Croatia

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to assist Croatia's progress towards membership of the European Union.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is a strong supporter of Croatian accession. As well as working closely with fellow EU Member States to set clear accession criteria, the UK is providing practical assistance in Croatia. We are using British expertise to help reform its judicial system, and strengthen Croatian skills and capacity in the fields of agriculture, financial controls, competition and regulatory impact assessment.

Cumbrian Shooting Incident

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Mr Derrick Bird was visited by a firearms officer of the Cumbria Constabulary in 2007 in connection with applications to renew his firearms and shotgun certificates.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The chief constable has commissioned a report on the circumstances surrounding the grant and any subsequent renewal of Mr Bird's certificates by Cumbria Constabulary. This is being conducted by a national expert on firearms licensing appointed by the Association of Chief Police Officers. A report is expected by October.

Data Protection

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the new defence to offences under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998, introduced by section 78 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, for purposes of journalism and other special purposes, will be brought into force.

Lord McNally: ): Any decision to commence the new defence in section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998 needs to be considered in the broader context of the penalties available for section 55 offences. The government are currently considering that matter.

Debt Relief Orders

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether automated and unsolicited telephone calls about debt relief orders which claim to reduce an individual's debts by 100 per cent within 12 months are funded or supported by the Government.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government do not fund or support automated or unsolicited telephone calls about debt relief orders.

Education: Languages

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pupils in each of the last five years who took (a) one, and (b) two, languages at A2 applied to university to study for a degree in modern languages.

Baroness Wilcox: The information is in the table below:
	UK domiciled applicants and accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses at UK institutions in modern languages by number of languages studied at A2 level, 2005-06 to 2009-10.
	
		
			  Number of languages taken at A2 level 
			  One Two or more 
			 Academic year of entry Applicants Accepted applicants Applicants Accepted applicants 
			 2005 3,261 1,926 2,698 2,123 
			 2006 3,160 1,735 2,644 2,021 
			 2007 3,179 1,796 2,656 2,009 
			 2008 3,146 1,937 2,543 1,915 
			 2009 3,098 1,904 2,453 1,922 
		
	
	Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
	Notes:
	The languages at A2 used to identify applicants are as follows: Arabic, Bahasa Melayu, Bengali, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Modern Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Modern Hebrew, Punjabi, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish and Urdu.
	Unless an applicant has applied in an earlier cycle and UCAS had received results at that stage, only the examination results achieved in the 18 months leading to the end of the application cycle concerned have been included.
	Higher education languages have been defined as those falling within JACS subject groups R European Languages, Literature and related and Group T Non-European Languages and related. It is not possible to separate out languages from literature.
	Applicants are counted as those that had made at least one choice (i.e. application; each applicant can make up to five applications) to groups R or T through the UCAS main scheme.

Elections

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the estimated cost of holding a United Kingdom-wide referendum separately from any other elections.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated additional cost of holding a United Kingdom-wide referendum on the same day as other elections due to be held in May 2011.

Lord McNally: As indicated in the Written Answer provided by my honourable friend the Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform (Mark Harper) on 14 July 2010, Official Report, col. 798W: Many of the cost elements of running the proposed referendum on the alternative vote system will be similar to those for a general election. The previous Government estimated the cost for conduct elements of the 2010 general election in Great Britain at £82.1 million (Official Report, 30 March 2010, column 1079W). Based on this, and our modelling for the 2009 European and 2010 general elections, it can be estimated that the cost of conduct elements for the proposed referendum will be similar. We have made initial assumptions about the conduct costs of a referendum were it not to be combined with any other polls and on that basis we currently estimate a saving of £17 million on the conduct costs of the referendum through combination.
	Additionally, as indicated in the Written Answer by my honourable friend the Member for South West Devon (Mr Streeter) of 6 July, Official Report, col. 144W, the Electoral Commission has estimated that the cost of its own activities in relation to the referendum at £9.3 million.
	Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, designated lead campaign organisations are entitled to send a referendum address post free, similar to the entitlement in place for candidates at general elections. The cost of funding this entitlement does not form part of the costs of the conduct of the poll. The government are considering how this entitlement will apply at the referendum on the alternative vote.

Elections

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of each of the last three boundary commission reviews of all Westminster constituencies; when they reported; and at which general elections their proposals were brought into effect.

Lord McNally: Information regarding the dates of Boundary Commission reports and the general election at which the new boundaries were implemented is set out in the table below.
	
		
			   5th General Review 4th General Review 3nd General Review 
			 Date report submitted England  Scotland  Wales  Northern Ireland Oct 2006  Nov 2004  Jan 2005  Sep 2006 April 1995  Dec 1994  Dec 1994  June 1995 Feb 1983  Feb 1983  Jan 1983  Oct 1982 
			 UK Parliamentary general election at which the new boundaries were brought into effect England  Scotland  Wales  Northern Ireland May 2010  May 2005  May 2010  May 2010 May 1997  May 1997  May 1997  May 1997 June 1983  June 1983  June 1983  June 1983 
		
	
	Information relating to the cost of the fifth general review in each part of the UK is set out in the table below.
	
		
			  Cost of 5th General Review 
			 England £10,800,000 
			 Scotland £957,120 
			 Wales £659,534 
			 NI f l,200,000 
		
	
	It should be noted that the final cost of the review in Wales has increased slightly from previous estimates.
	Information relating to the cost of boundary reviews before the fifth general review is either not held, or could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, with the exception of the fourth general review in England which cost £4.95 million. The official record also shows that in April 1983, the operating costs of the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland during the period 1974 to 1983 (the period immediately preceding the publication of the third general review) totalled £1,295,783.

Elections: Voting System

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Alternative Vote system proposed in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill can produce different results depending on how many preferences voters are allowed to express.

Lord McNally: The Alternative Vote system set out in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill allows voters to express as few or as many preferences (up to the number of candidates) as they wish.

Elections: Voting System

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Alternative Vote system proposed in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill is used elsewhere in the world.

Lord McNally: We have not carried out an exhaustive survey of voting systems used in other countries. A key feature of the Alternative Vote system set out in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill is that voters may express a preference for as few or as many candidates (up to the number of candidates) as they wish. This is an 'optional preferential' form of the Alternative Vote system. It is understood that such a voting system is used, for example, in elections to the Legislative Assemblies in New South Wales and Queensland in Australia; and for the Irish Presidential election.

Elections: Voting System

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what source was used for the definition and operation of the Alternative Vote system proposed in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill.

Lord McNally: There was no single source used for the definition and operation of the Alternative Vote system proposed in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill. Cabinet Office officials used a range of sources to prepare the clauses on the system included in the Bill. This included drawing upon UK and international experiences of voting systems.

EU: Legislation

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to help strengthen the scrutiny by national parliaments of proposed European legislation.

Lord Howell of Guildford: This Government are dedicated to getting the scrutiny system right. Scrutiny is a top priority and we are looking at ways that control, scrutiny and accountability on EU issues Government can assist Parliament in strengthening. This includes discussion of the role that Parliamentary scrutiny plays in holding the Government to account on EU decision making.

EU: Member States

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers have been returned to member states by the European Community or the European Union since 1972.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: There have not been any changes in European Community and European Union treaties since 1972 which have resulted in a transfer of competences to the Member States.
	Following the amendments introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union now provides for the possibility of return of a European Union competence to the Member States. Article 2(2) TfEU provides that "the Member States shall exercise their competence again to the extent that the Union has decided to cease exercising its competence."
	Declaration 18 in relation to the delimitation of competences annexed to the Final Act of the Intergovernmental Conference which adopted the Treaty of Lisbon underlines that the Member States may, in an Intergovernmental Conference and in accordance with the ordinary revision procedure provided for Article 48(2)-(5) of the Treaty of European Union, decide to amend the Treaties upon which the Union is founded, including either to increase or to reduce the competences conferred on the Union in the Treaties.
	The examination of the EU's existing competences promised in the "Programme for Government" will consider whether the balance of competence between the EU and the UK in certain areas currently falls in the right price.

EU: Well-being and Sustainability

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to help develop standard measures, not confined to gross domestic product, to assess the well-being of European states and communities.

Lord Sassoon: The Government continue to work with the European Commission, Eurostat and other EU member states on developing broader indicators of well-being and sustainability, building on the Commission's communication GDP and Beyond-Measuring Progress in a Changing World, from August 2009 (see EM 12739/09).
	The UK has taken an active part in discussions with EU partners on the recent report by the Commission on the measurement of economic performance and social progress (by Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi, 2009). The Government are committed to developing broader indicators of well-being and sustainability at a national level, with the Office for National Statistics and the Cabinet Office leading work on taking forward the report's agenda across the UK.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published on 30 July Measuring Progress: Sustainable Development Indicators 2010. This annual publication presents an overview of quality of life and sustainable development, and is available at www.defra.gov.uk/sustainable/government/progress. Defra has been extensively involved with Eurostat on sustainable development and well¬being indicators at the EU level.

European Protection Order

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will opt into the Directive on the European Protection Order.

Lord McNally: The United Kingdom opted in to the European Protection Order on 30 March this year.

Finance: Euro Funding

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the effect on London's standing as a centre for clearing derivatives of not having direct access to euro funding from the European Central Bank.

Lord Sassoon: UK-based clearing houses, operating to high prudential standards, currently clear euro-denominated derivatives trades. The Government believe that UK-based clearing houses should be able to continue to compete effectively in this market.

Financial Sector: Risk

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they regularly monitor published best-buy league tables of deposit interest rates as an indicator of potential financial risk to United Kingdom depositors, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and public finances.

Lord Sassoon: HM Treasury regularly monitors "best buy" tables of interest rates on deposit accounts as one indicator of financial sector risk and as an indicator of competitive dynamics in the depositor market.

Financial Services: Supervision

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Myners on 21 July 2009 (WA 364-65) and the Written Statement by Lord Sassoon on 26 July 2010 (WS 113-14), whether overall financial supervision of the United Kingdom's financial services rests with the European Union or the Government and Parliament.

Lord Sassoon: Supervision of the United Kingdom's financial services remains with the United Kingdom.

Firearms: Licensing

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) firearms certificates, and (b) shotgun certificates, were reviewed by Cumbria Constabulary in 2008 and 2009 outside the normal renewal period because of concerns about holders of certificates.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Information is not held centrally on the number of certificate holders reviewed by individual police forces prior to renewal. However, the Home Office holds data on the number of revocations. Certificates can be revoked if the chief police officer is satisfied that the holder can no longer be entrusted with firearms. In 2008-09, one firearm certificate and seven shotgun certificates were revoked in the Cumbria police force area.

First World War Commemoration

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Department co-ordinates preparations for the commemoration of the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in 2014.

Lord Astor of Hever: As my honourable friend the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans said in the Adjournment debate of 8 July 2010, in the other place (Official Report, Commons, col. 636):
	"We will be discussing with colleagues across Whitehall, particularly in Department of Culture, Media and Sport, how the centenary may be commemorated, and we will work with other interested parties, such as the Imperial War Museum, to develop a co-ordinated approach to ensure that the centenary is given the highest possible profile".

General Election

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will respond to the issues raised in the Electoral Commission Report on the administration of the 2010 UK general election.

Lord McNally: We welcome the Electoral Commission's report on the administration of the May 2010 UK parliamentary election and will look closely at the issues which have been raised. A formal response to the report will be provided within the next six months.

Government Departments: Female Staff

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Prime Minister has not appointed any women ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development or the Ministry of Defence.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in making ministerial appointments of women, the Prime Minister has taken account of the examples set to private sector companies on the promotion of gender equality on company boards.

Lord Strathclyde: Ministers are appointed on the basis of their experience and expertise. The Government are seeking to encourage greater representation of women in Parliament.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Ministry of Defence; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Astor of Hever: The information requested on maintenance costs and number of page impressions for websites managed by agencies, non-departmental public bodies and trading funds of the Ministry of Defence has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Since 2007, seven websites have been closed by MoD agencies, trading funds and non-departmental bodies as follows: two closed in 2007-08, two closed and one moved out of MOD's ownership in 2008-09, one closed in 2009-10, and one closed in 2010-11. A further five websites are due to be rationalised by 31 March 2011.
	From April 2011, the Central Office of Information will include the information requested regarding agencies in its annual report on the government web estate.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is responsible for 256 websites, using over 40 different languages, which are managed from the central FCO web platform. They include the Department's corporate website and its Posts overseas, in order to provide information about Britain, its foreign policy and consular services for British nationals abroad. A full list of these websites and their addresses was provided in a written answer on 16 June 2010, Official Report, column 471W.
	The cost of maintenance and hosting for the Department's corporate website in 2007-08 was c. £515,000. The running costs (hosting and maintenance) for the platform in 2008-09 were £1.45 million, and in 2009-10 the costs were £1.47 million.
	In line with industry standards and Central Office of Information (COI) guidance TG 116, the number of page impressions for the FCO web platform has been reported as a measure of the volume of site usage. This is a more reliable measure than the number of "hits", which would also include requests for additional files associated with a web page that the user has not directly requested. The page impressions for the corporate website in 2008-09 were 204,351,716 and in 2009-10 the page impressions were 222,571,651. Page impressions for 2007-8 are not available; however the number of unique visitors was recorded as 9,583,348.
	With the launch of a single platform and domain in 2008, the FCO closed all Post websites and domains. In line with COI standards TG101, TG105 and TG125, the FCO is engaged in an active programme of deleting, phasing-out, redirecting (to the National Archives) or converging (onto the FCO web platform) independent websites and domains.

Government Departments: Websites

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Government Equalities Office; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) operates one website.
	(a) The cost of maintaining its own website was:
	£4,091.45 in 2008-09 (website launched on 19 December 2008)
	£10,995.00 in 2009-10
	(b) The number of page impressions for its own website was:
	725,901 from 19 December 2008-19 December 2009
	711,301 from 20th December 2009 - 1st August 2010
	In line with industry standards and COI guidance TG116, the number of page impressions has been reported as a measure of the volume of site usage. This is a more reliable measure than the number of "hits" which would also include requests for additional files associated with a web page that the user has not directly requested.
	(c) GEO closed no websites in this period.
	The Women's National Commission (WNC) is an advisory non-departmental public body sponsored by the Government Equalities Office and it operates one website.
	(a) The cost of maintaining WNC's website was:
	£176.25 in 2008-09
	£389.28 in 2009-10
	(b) The number of hits on the WNC website from March 25 2010 to July 28 2010 is 271,810. The WNC has been formally recording hits for the website since March 25 2010.
	(c.) No website were closed by WNC in this period

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Northern Ireland Office; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: On 12 April 2010 the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) transferred responsibility for policing and justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) as it is now configured does not have any agencies.

Government: Training

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training has been provided by the National School of Government for new ministers; and how many ministers have undertaken such training.

Lord Strathclyde: This is a matter for the National School of Government. I have asked the chief executive for the National School of Government to respond directly to your PQ about ministerial training.
	Letter from Rod Clark, Principal and Chief Executive, National School of Government, to Lord Norton of Louth, dated August 2010
	The National School of Government works with the Cabinet Office to provide the Ministerial programme, details of which are available on the National School's website at: www.nationalschool.gov.uk/policy/MinisterialProgramme

Government: Training

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training has been provided by the National School of Government on constitutional practices and conventions for (a) new ministers, and (b) officials in the Cabinet Office working for the Deputy Prime Minister.

Lord Strathclyde: The National School of Government (NSG) works with the Cabinet Office to provide training to new Ministers as necessary in order to carry out their duties effectively under the Ministerial Code. As part of its ministerial training programme, the National School of Government offers induction training to all new Ministers and provides follow-up training at their request. Constitutional practices and conventions are covered as necessary.
	NSG has not provided training for officials working directly for the DPM. However, the Elections and Democracy Division and Parliament and Constitution Division in Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Constitution Directorate transferred to Cabinet Office to form the new Constitution Group. They provide direct support to the Deputy Prime Minister and his ministerial team in taking forward his responsibilities for constitutional and political reform. They bring considerable in-depth expertise on constitutional practices and conventions and receive additional training and support in new areas as appropriate.

Grassroots Grants

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue the Grassroots Grants programme for community groups and organisations.

Lord Strathclyde: The Government intend to fund the Grassroots Grants programme in full for the duration of the current spending period until the end of March 2011. The local endowments that the programme has built will continue to provide revenue for use as grants into the future. Up to March 2010, the endowment has seen £26.9 million raised by communities and then matched by government to create a total fund of nearly £49 million.

Gulf War Illnesses

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 26 July (WA 278), whether, in addition to placing a copy of the reply to Professor Hooper in the Library of the House, they will publish the reply in the Official Report.

Lord Astor of Hever: No. Ministerial correspondence often contains information about a constituent and is often complex and/or sensitive. It is considered appropriate to place a copy of letters in the Library of the House if it is requested and correspondents have given their consent to do so.

Health: Cancer

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the industry code of practice and the arrangements for oversight by the Financial Services Authority and Financial Ombudsman Service of health insurers who cease to cover certain cancer patients' treatment even though their doctor advises that they would still benefit from the same treatment.

Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is responsible for regulation of insurance companies. The FSA reviewed the private medical insurance market, along with other non-investment insurance products, when revising its Insurance Conduct of Business Rules in 2008. The FSA undertakes ongoing monitoring to ensure compliance with its rules, and industry codes and guidance must have regard to FSA principles of treating customers fairly.

Health: Insurance

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, when they publish plans for increasing access to new cancer drugs for NHS patients, they will examine the practices of private health insurance companies to ensure that patients are not being mis-sold policies.

Lord Sassoon: The Government do not engage with the insurance industry, or examine the practices of private health insurance companies, during the process of publishing plans to increase access to new cancer drugs for NHS patients.
	The Government remain committed to addressing instances of mis-selling in the insurance sector. The Government are consulting on the creation of the Consumer Protection and Markets Authority (CPMA), which will be responsible for making all financial services conduct of business rules, including those relating to private medical insurance. The CPMA will take a strong approach to enforcement of conduct of business rules to ensure credible deterrence in areas such as mis-selling.

Homelessness: Rough Sleepers

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many beds are available for rough sleepers within a mile of the Palace of Westminster.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average number of rough sleepers on the streets within a mile of the Palace of Westminster.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with Westminster City Council and the Metropolitan Police about the number of rough sleepers on Victoria Street.

Baroness Hanham: Westminster Council, together with its local partners, including the voluntary sector and the police, is responsible for tackling rough sleeping in the borough. CLG has provided £6.6 million homelessness grant in 2010-11 to Westminster Council to help it prevent homelessness with majority being spent on rough sleeping services.
	The department does not keep information on either the number of rough sleepers or hostel bed availability within a mile of the Palace of Westminster. The 2010 rough sleeper count for Westminster showed 147 people sleeping rough on a single night. There is also extensive hostel provision for rough sleepers across the borough.
	The Minister for Housing announced on 23 July a review of how rough sleepers are counted and for a more comprehensive method of assessing the scale of the problem. Charities and councils are being asked for their views on proposed improvements in a consultation taking place over the summer and final guidance will be published in September.

Institutional Investors: Voting Records

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of (a) the proportion of United Kingdom institutional investors who publicly disclose their voting records, and (b) trends in that figure over the last ten years.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to set (a) criteria for judging the success of the Financial Reporting Council's Stewardship Code in encouraging institutional investors publicly to disclose their voting records, and (b) a date to assess the Code's performance against those criteria, with a view to deciding whether to exercise the reserve powers under section 1277 of the Companies Act 2006 to introduce mandatory voting disclosure for institutional investors.

Baroness Wilcox: The proportion of institutional investors who publicly disclose their voting records has increased since 2004. Considered voting at company meetings is one of the ways in which investors can act as effective owners of the companies in which they invest, and it is important that all institutional investors disclose their voting in order to improve transparency in this area.
	The Financial Reporting Council's planned approach to assessment is given in its report Implementation of the Stewardship Code published in July 2010. The Investment Management Association will be reviewing disclosure of voting as part of its next engagement survey, which will take place later this year and will include independent oversight.
	The Government will comment on this and other related corporate governance issues when they set out their views on the regulation of takeovers in the light of the Takeover Panel's recent consultation.

Kazakhstan

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following remarks by Kazakhstan's foreign minister Kanat Saudabayev to the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, David Lidington, at the recent informal Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe ministerial meeting in Almaty saying that United Kingdom interests in Kazakhstan were behind those of France and Germany, as reported in the Sunday Telegraph on 25 July, they plan to draw up a memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan similar to those it has with France and Germany; and whether they have discussed with the government of Kazakhstan the prospect of United Kingdom companies exploring the potential to engage in the projects and sectors covered in the memoranda of understanding with France and Germany.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We want to strengthen all aspects of our relationship with Kazakhstan, but focusing in particular on bilateral trade and investment. UK Trade & Investment, in partnership with the Kazakh-British Trade and Industry Council (established in 1995 and directed by ministers and by senior business leaders), has identified a number of priority sectors for co-operation. These include: natural resources; legal and financial services; vocational education and skills development; telecommunications; transport; construction; power generation; agriculture and food processing; environmental protection; healthcare; and tourism, culture and sport. The 14th meeting of the Council, which took place in London on 16 June 2010, concluded an updated Protocol on bilateral co-operation in these and other areas.

Kurds

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed with the governments of Iraq, Syria and Turkey the possibility of establishing an autonomous region comprising areas with a high Kurdish population in those countries.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The British Government have had no such discussions with the governments of Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

Licensed Premises: Closure Notices

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many closure notices have been issued by the police or trading standards officers against licensed premises in each of the last five years.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Two closure notice powers are available: under Section 169A of the Licensing Act 2003 and Section 19 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.
	Data on closure notices issued under Section 169A of the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) is published in the Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Bulletin and can be accessed on the DCMS website at the following link; data are available from April-March 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09: http://www.culture.gov.uk/ what we do/research and statistics/4865.asp x
	Data on closure notices issued under Section 19 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 are not collected centrally.

Monetary Policy Committee

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether independent members of the Monetary Policy Committee are allowed to return to, or take up, employment in private financial services immediately upon retirement from the committee.

Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England Act 1998 requires the Court to determine the terms and conditions of service of the four members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) appointed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
	The guidelines under which the MPC operates provide that departing members observe a three-month purdah period during which they cannot take up any post that represents a conflict of interest with their role in setting interest rates. As stated in the Bank of England annual report under the section on remuneration, on leaving the Bank external members of the MPC are paid their salary for a period of three months, during which period the Bank has the right to veto any employment that would conflict with their former MPC responsibilities.

Monetary Policy Committee

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Sassoon on 26 July (HL Deb, col. 1157), why a senior HM Treasury official attends Monetary Policy Committee meetings.

Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England Act 1998 sets out the statutory framework for the Bank of England, including the role and composition of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), and provides that "A representative of the Treasury may attend, and speak, at any meeting of the Committee". The non-voting Treasury representative plays a key role in liaison between the Treasury and the Bank to ensure appropriate co-ordination of fiscal and monetary policy. For example, the Treasury representative will brief the MPC on major events such as the Budget and the Pre-Budget Report.

Money: Supply

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decline in broad money supply; and whether they plan to address the causes of it.

Lord Sassoon: The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy including use of the asset purchase facility (APF).
	The Bank of England publishes quarterly reports on the APF in addition to minutes of the MPC meetings and a quarterly Inflation Report that sets out detailed economic analysis and inflation projections on which the MPC bases its decisions. Section 1 of the May 2010 Inflation Report discusses recent developments in money and asset prices. It points out that money holdings in 2010 Q1 grew at the fastest pace since 2008 Q2, though the four-quarter growth rate was well below the recent average. More recent data on the Bank of England's preferred measure of broad money, which excludes holdings by intermediate other financial corporations, increased for four consecutive months from February to June 2010.

Money: Supply

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the impact on the money supply of any request from the Monetary Policy Committee for further quantitative easing; and whether they will examine measures to raise the velocity of circulation.

Lord Sassoon: The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy. The MPC decides on use of measures, including the asset purchase facility (APF), in order to target 2 per cent inflation, as measured by the 12-month change in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).
	The APF framework requires the Chancellor to authorise the overall limit on asset purchases. Open letters exchanged between the Chancellor and the governor agreeing the limit for APF purchases can be found on the Bank of England website.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the remarks by Lord Sassoon on 26 July (HL Deb, cols 1215-16), whether Sir Alan Budd will be free to renew his employment with the hedge fund manager Brevan Howard immediately following his return from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Lord Sassoon: The arrangements for Sir Alan Budd on his departure from the OBR are set out in an exchange of letters between Sir Alan Budd and Sir Nicholas Macpherson, available on the OBR's website at http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government , following the decision to submit prospective appointments to the Office for Budget Responsibility to the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee for approval, whether they will consider proposing a similar process for appointments to the Court of the Bank of England and the Board of the Financial Services Authority.

Lord Sassoon: As the Chancellor made clear in his letter of 19 July 2010 to the chairman of the Treasury Select Committee (TSC), providing the TSC with a power of veto of over the appointment of the chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is an unprecedented step which reflects the unique position the OBR chair will hold. This procedure will not be replicated for other appointments.
	The Chairman of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) is subject to a pre-commencement hearing before the TSC. The Governor and Deputy Governors of the Bank of England attend appointment hearings for the Monetary Policy Committee, not the Court, and they are called only once the appointment has been announced. Non-executive members of Court and other members of the FSA board, apart from the chairman, are not subject to pre or post-commencement appointment hearings by the TSC. There are no plans to change these arrangements.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 15 July (WA 150-1), whether any tickets for the 2012 Olympics will be reserved for London residents.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Three quarters of the 10 million tickets available will be open to the public via a ballot process. Under EU competition law, LOCOG must ensure that all EU citizens, including everyone in the UK, are given fair and equitable opportunities to purchase London 2012 tickets. Of those people that have signed up with LOCOG for ticketing information, 96 per cent are from UK residents and 32 per cent are from Greater London.

Parliamentary Constituencies

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government which parliamentary constituencies have an area larger than 12,000 square kilometres.

Lord McNally: The five largest Parliamentary constituencies by area are set out below. As the table shows, of the present constituencies only Ross, Skye and Lochaber has an area larger than 12,000 square kilometres.
	
		
			 Constituency Area (Sq Kilometres) Total electors as of 1st December 2009 
			 Ross, Skye & Lochaber 12716 51,934 
			 Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross 8710 47,263 
			 Argyll & Bute 7127 67,461 
			 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey 4931 72,390 
			 Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale 4359 74,847

Police: Staff Associations

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much paid police time is spent on administering police staff associations based on gender, race, skin colour or religious belief; whether any of those associations receive financial assistance; and, if so, which ones; and how much each receives.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Home Office does not hold information in relation to how much paid police time is spent on administering police staff associations. No announcement has been made on Home Office funding for police diversity staff support associations in 2010-11, which will need to take account of the public sector's financial position.

Population

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 26 July (WA 297-8), what measures they propose to restrict the population of the United Kingdom and in individual areas.

Lord Strathclyde: There are many factors affecting population levels in the UK generally, and its individual areas, that it is not in the Government's power to control, e.g. birth and death rates, personal preference. It is clearly the case that some areas in the United Kingdom have declining or growing populations which public policy can influence, should it be appropriate to do so. Housing supply, infrastructure and access to jobs and public services all have an impact on where people settle. The Government have also committed to introducing an annual limit on non-EU economic migrants, which is expected to have an impact on the make-up of the UK's population.

Prisoners: Transfers

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether prisoners convicted in foreign countries can be transferred to United Kingdom prisons in cases where their sentences might be considered excessive by United Kingdom courts.

Lord McNally: British nationals imprisoned abroad receive sentences deemed appropriate to the country in which they have committed the offence.
	Prisoner transfer agreements enable those prisoners to serve their sentences in their own country where the difficulties associated with imprisonment abroad can be alleviated. Prisoner transfer agreements are not intended to enable the prisoner to receive a reduction in a sentence lawfully imposed in a foreign jurisdiction, simply as a consequence of transfer. The UK will therefore continue to enforce a sentence imposed abroad in accordance with the relevant international arrangements.

Schools: Academies

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the minimum timescale they have set for schools to consult interested parties on plans for Academy trusts to be set up.

Lord Hill of Oareford: There is no minimum timescale for schools to consult interested parties on plans to set up an academy trust. However, schools must register the academy trust with Companies House before the funding agreement is signed. In order to register, schools must file a model memorandum and articles of association with Companies House. The memorandum has to contain the names and signatures of the subscribers who wish to form the academy trust and is required to set up the academy as a company limited by guarantee.
	The Academies Bill provides that consultation can take place before academy arrangements are agreed and before or after an academy order has been made.

Smuggling

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much HM Treasury has lost in revenue from all forms of smuggling in South Armagh in each of the last three years.

Lord Sassoon: Estimates of the revenue lost from all forms of smuggling in South Armagh are not available because it is not possible to split revenue losses between regions. However, estimates of the illicit market for excise goods for the whole of the UK for 2007-08 have been published by HMRC in Measuring Tax Gaps-2009 in November 2009, which is available in the House of Commons Library and can be found on the Internet at http://www.hmrc.qov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-.qaps.htm.

Spending Challenge

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 26 July (WA 267), which of the approximately 90,000 ideas received through the Spending Challenge websites are still being considered.

Lord Sassoon: Of the approximately 90,000 ideas received from the Spending Challenge websites, 60,000 of these were received through the public sector website. Following an initial sift of these ideas to remove non-compliant ones, the remaining sixty-five per cent are now being actively reviewed by government departments.
	The other 30,000 ideas have been received through the general public spending challenge website and ideas are still being submitted through this process. The Government have committed to considering the best ideas received through this channel and we will be providing further updates on this process over the summer.

Taxation

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 22 July (WA 253), why it took 23 working days for the question to be answered.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 22 July (WA 253), whether they intend to introduce a dynamic model to assess the impact of tax changes on Exchequer revenues, as proposed by the Tax Reform Commission.

Lord Sassoon: HM Treasury continues to develop the way in which it assesses the impact of tax changes on exchequer revenues, including through considering the case for the use of dynamic models. It is also committed to greater transparency around the public finances forecast and the assumptions and methodologies underlying policy costings.
	HM Treasury published the direct effects of tax policy changes on exchequer revenues in table 2.1 of Budget 2010. Alongside this, for the first time, the Treasury also published a supplementary document, Budget 2010 policy costings, providing further details on the Noble Lord's previous question on the tax models used by the Government.

Taxation: Capital Gains Tax

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the remarks by Lord Sassoon on 26 July (HL Deb, col. 1150), in what circumstances a standard rate tax payer might pay capital gains tax of more than 18 per cent.

Lord Sassoon: If an individual's chargeable capital gains do not exceed any unused amount of their basic rate band, they are taxed at 18 per cent. Any balance of capital gains over that amount is taxed at 28 per cent.
	If a basic rate taxpayer acts as a trustee of a trust, or as the personal representative of a deceased person, gains arising on disposals of assets held in the trust or forming part of the estate are taxable at 28 per cent. This tax may be charged on the individual in their capacity of trustee or personal representative, but is not the individual's personal liability.

Taxation: Controlled Foreign Company Tax System

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the Controlled Foreign Company tax system.

Lord Sassoon: The Government are fully committed to controlled foreign company (CFC) tax reform and have announced that a new CFC regime will be legislated in spring 2012, allowing time to consider carefully how to make the rules more competitive, to enhance long-term stability and to provide adequate protection of the UK tax base.
	The Government are also consulting on CFC interim improvements to be legislated in spring 2011. The aim of these interim measures is to make the current rules easier to operate and, where possible, increase competitiveness ahead of full reform in 2012. Further information, including a note on the aim and scope of the CFC interim improvements, can be found at: www. hmtreasury.gov.uk/controlled foreign companies.htm.

Turkey

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with the Kurdistan Workers Party in Turkey.

Lord Howell of Guildford: No. The Kurdistan Workers Party, also known as the PKK, has been proscribed in the UK since 2000.

Universities: Afghan Studies

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any Afghan studies departments or units in British universities.

Baroness Wilcox: We are not aware of any specific Afghan studies departments in British universities. A range of universities carry out relevant research and offer students the opportunity to undertake Afghan studies as part of their degree courses; for example, in South Asian and middle eastern studies, war studies and international studies.

Visas

Viscount Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord De Mauley on 22 July (HL Deb, col. 1066), when the findings of the survey of tier 5 applicants for visas, including artists and performers, will be published.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The survey is currently being analysed. The findings will be published in autumn 2010, once this analysis is completed and the usual quality assurance procedures have been completed.

Anti-Slavery Day

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will specify a date to be observed each year as Anti-Slavery Day under the Anti-Slavery Day Act 2010.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Minister of State for Immigration (Damien Green) has decided that 18 October will be designated Anti-Slavery Day, which is the same day as the European Union Trafficking Awareness Day. The relevant statutory instrument is in the process of being drafted and will be laid before Parliament by the end of September.

Broadcasting

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received on the recommendations in the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee report on Future for local and regional media about public service reporting and the operation of the broadcast pool; and what action has been taken.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government have received no representations other than by the noble Lord, Lord Black of Brentwood.
	The broadcast pool operates entirely independently from Government. The Government understand that, following discussions, the BBC, ITN and Sky have agreed that all news organisations, including the Press Association, should be given access to broadcast pool material and be able to purchase the footage.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to move the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre from the Serious Organised Crime Agency to become a non-departmental public body.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government recently published Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting police and the people (CM 7925). This set out the Government's proposals for the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and the creation of a new National Crime Agency. These proposals are now the subject of a public consultation.

European Investigation Order

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will obtain the approval of Parliament before any decision to opt in to the European Investigation Order.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The decision whether to opt in to directives such as the European Investigation Order (EIO) has to be taken within three months of their publication. Parliament, through the European Scrutiny Committee of each House, has the opportunity to give its opinion on whether the UK should opt in as part of the scrutiny process.
	The EIO directive was published on 29 April. The House of Lords Scrutiny Committee recommended on 1 July that the UK opt in to the EIO. During the three-month period from 29 April to 28 July, the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee was not constituted and did not therefore have the opportunity to take a view on the issue. Because of this, the Home Secretary took the decision to make an Oral Statement in the other place on Tuesday 27 July setting out the reasons behind the Government's decision to opt in to the EIO.

European Investigation Order

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the implications for the United Kingdom in the event of their opting in to the European Investigation Order.

Baroness Neville-Jones: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary announced in her Oral Statement to the other place on Tuesday 27 July that the Government have opted in to the European Investigation Order (EIO).
	The decision was taken to opt in to the EIO because it offers practical help for the British police and prosecutors by speeding up the time it takes for other member states to respond to our requests for assistance. The Government are determined to do everything they can to help police and prosecutors cut crime and deliver justice.
	As people have become more mobile, so too has crime, and that has serious consequences for our ability to bring criminals to justice. To deal with cross-border crime, countries enter into mutual legal assistance (MLA) agreements. These agreements provide a framework through which states can obtain evidence from overseas.
	MLA has therefore been an important tool in the fight against international crime and terrorism. It has been crucial in a number of high-profile cases.
	But MLA has not been without its faults. The process is fragmented and confusing for the police and prosecutors. And it is often too slow, taking in some cases many months to obtain vital evidence.
	The EIO seeks to address these problems within the EU by simplifying the system with a standardised request form and providing formal deadlines for the recognition and execution of requests. The EIO will also impose obligations on the United Kingdom to meet formal deadlines for the recognition and execution of requests received from other member states.
	The EIO is intended to replace many of the current instruments in this field in order to create a comprehensive instrument covering the vast majority of MLA between EU member states. Consequently, the EIO, once operational, would be the mechanism through which the UK made MLA requests to, and received MLA requests from, other participating member states.
	The Government believe that by opting in to the European Investigation Order at this stage there will be the opportunity to influence its precise content. In particular, the Government will seek to ensure that there is a proportionality test so police forces are not asked to do work in relation to trivial offences and also to ensure that appropriate legal safeguards are in place. I have already had discussions with my German counterpart about these issues and I am confident that we will shape the draft directive so that it helps fight crime and deliver justice, while protecting civil liberties and avoiding unduly burdening the police.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the past three years for which information is available.

Lord Strathclyde: The Royal Parks is the department's only agency. The cost of maintaining its website, and the number of visitors its website received in the last three years, can be seen in the table:
	
		
			 Year* Cost of operation** (£) Number of visitors 
			 2007-08 34,551 972,115 
			 2008-09 69,052 1,221,710 
			 2009-10 65,229 1,572,573 
		
	
	*April 1 to 31 March.
	** The cost of technical maintenance, content change and hosting the Royal Parks website. Staff costs relating to the website have not been disaggregated and are not included.
	Of the websites that the department maintains, the number closed between July 2007 and July 2010 can be seen in the table:
	
		
			 Websites closed by year 
			 2007 4 
			 2008 1 
			 2009 3 
			 2010 2

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Scotland Office; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the past three years for which information is available.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Scotland Office is required to measure website costs and website usage data in line with the guidance issued by the Central Office of Information, Measuring Website Costs (TG128) and Measuring Website Usage (TG1 16) starting in this financial year from 1 April 2010, with collation of data at year end. Usage data for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09 is not available centrally and cannot be calculated without incurring disproportionate costs.
	(a) The cost of maintaining the Scotland Office website for the years 2007-08 to 2009-10 are:
	2007-08-£2,990;
	2008-09-£15,052.50*; and
	2009-10-£3,500.
	*The figure for 2008-09 represents a complete redesign and redevelopment of the website, hosting package for the site and fill content management system for in-house staff to manage content.
	(b) Page views for the Scotland office website are only available for 2009-10. The total number of page views for 2009-10 is 151,450^
	^This figure does not include April 2009.
	(c) The Scotland Office has closed no websites in the past three years.

Immigration: Detention

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK Border Agency will review its practice of booking detainees on morning flights from Heathrow Airport, in view of their likely prior movement by road from an immigration removal centre during the night.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The United Kingdom Border Agency tries as a matter of policy to move the returnee to an Immigration Removal Centre close to the airport of departure the day before the flight to minimise the impact of an early flight on the welfare of detainees.
	UKBA seeks to avoid night time transfers and an overnight move would only take place on an exceptional basis. Nevertheless, when weighing up detainee welfare and length of stay issues, a night transfer is occasionally unavoidable. There are no current plans to phase out overnight moves completely for detainees given that these are conducted only under the most exceptional circumstances.
	There are no plans to review the practice of booking returnees on morning flights from Heathrow.

Licensing: Live Music

Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many licensed premises did not have authorisation to provide facilities for making music on 31 March 2009.

Lord Strathclyde: On 31 March 2009 there were 197,900 premises licences in force and 17,300 club premises certificates in England and Wales.
	The estimated total premises licences without authorisation for facilities for making music was 145,500, and the total club premises certificates without authorisation for facilities for making music was 11,500 as at 31 March 2009.
	The estimated total premises licences without facilities for entertainment similar to making music or dancing was 164,500, and the total club premises certificates without facilities for entertainment similar to making music or dancing was 13,500 as at 31 March 2009.
	Multiple activities can apply to a particular premises.

Official Statistics: Alcohol

Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what changes they are making to the methods of data collection for the Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Statistical Bulletin to ensure that future bulletins comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Lord Strathclyde: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's official statistics already comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics so no methodological changes are needed for the Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment bulletin. The UK Statistics Authority has, however, asked us to provide clarification on how to interpret a specific data item on live music licences. We will do this.

Olympic Games and Paralympic Games 2012

Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what preparations they are making for proposing at the United Nations General Assembly the Olympic Truce for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and for promoting observance of the Truce.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: It has become customary for each country hosting the Olympic Games to table a resolution in the UN General Assembly, in advance of the Games, which urges member states to observe the Olympic Truce for the duration of the competition. The UK has co-sponsored these resolutions in advance of recent Games. There are currently two years until the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and, as the host country, we will therefore consider this custom in due course.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they hold a register of interests of all board members of the London Organising Committee of the 2012 Olympic Games and the Olympic Delivery Authority; whether such interests include offshore interests; and, if so, whether they will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Lord Strathclyde: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	In neither instance do the Government hold a register of interests of all the bodies' board members, but details are published on the organisations' websites and can be found via the following links:
	http://www.london20l2.com/about-us/the-people-delivering-the-games/the-london-organising-committee/locog-board.php.
	http://www.london20l2.com/about-us/the-people-delivering-the-games/the-olympic-delivery-authority/oda-board/index.php.
	I am arranging to have the most recent edition of the ODA's register of board members' interests placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Schools: A-Levels

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform A-level examinations.

Lord Hill of Oareford: We plan to give universities and learned bodies more say over the development of A-level examinations, to ensure that they are robust and rigorous, and properly prepare students for higher education. We shall make a further announcement on the detail of reforms to the development of qualifications later in the year.

Schools: Inspection

Baroness Williams of Crosby: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) secondary schools, and (b) primary schools rated "outstanding" in their most recent Ofsted inspection were rated "outstanding" in their previous inspection; and what proportion of the total numbers they represent.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) secondary schools, and (b) primary schools have been rated "outstanding" by Ofsted in each of their past three inspections; and what proportion of the total number of schools they represent.

Lord Hill of Oareford: These are matters for Ofsted. The deputy for HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the noble Baroness and a copy of her response has been placed in the Libraries.
	Letter from Lorraine Langham, Director, Corporate Services, Ofsted, to Baroness Williams of Crosby, dated 9 August 2010.
	Your recent parliamentary questions have been passed to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector for response. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is currently on leave and I am deputising for her in her absence.
	The latest period for which published figures about maintained school section 5 inspection outcomes are available is the spring term of 2009-10. This answer, therefore, takes into account those primary and secondary schools (including academies and city technology colleges) which were open on 21 April 2010 and had received an inspection on or before 31 March 2010.
	Under the school inspection frameworks used between January 2000 and August 2005 (commonly known as section 10), the school's overall effectiveness judgement was made using a seven point scale: "excellent", "very good", "good", "satisfactory", "unsatisfactory", "poor" and "very poor". Since September 2005, the overall effectiveness judgement has been made under the current school inspection framework (commonly known as section 5) using a four point scale: "outstanding", "good", "satisfactory" and "inadequate".
	Given the differences in the measurement of overall effectiveness between the frameworks, it is not possible to operate a simple read-across approach between section 10 and section 5 inspection frameworks.
	As the question refers to those schools which were found to be "outstanding", this answer only looks at those inspections that took place under section 5 (from September 2005). It does not include those schools currently "outstanding" under section 5, with consecutive inspections under the previous section 10 framework. Scheduling of inspections now places emphasis on inspecting those with previous overall effectiveness judgements of "inadequate" or "satisfactory" to a greater degree, so there is a deliberate bias in the way we schedule inspection. Therefore the number of inspections scheduled under section 5 and found to be consecutively "outstanding" on three occasions or more are likely to be negligible.
	Information on which schools were open on 21 April 2010 has been taken from the Department for Education's Edubase system. Information regarding section 5 inspections was taken from archived information on Ofsted's systems.
	Of the 1,611 secondary schools inspected more than once under section 5, there were 110 secondary schools rated "outstanding" where their previous section 5 inspection was also rated "outstanding". Of the 7,545 primary schools inspected more than once under section 5, there were 359 primary schools rated "outstanding" where their previous section 5 inspection was also rated "outstanding".
	Of the 370 secondary and primary schools that have been inspected three times under section 5, none have had three consecutive "outstanding" judgements.
	Tables 1 and 2 below contain the information requested.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	
		
			 Table 1: Secondary schools, and primary schools rated "outstanding" in their most recent Ofsted section 5 inspection and rated "outstanding" in their previous section 5 inspection and the proportion of the total numbers they represent 
			  Open schools at 21 April 2010 and inspected on or before 31 March 2010 Schools inspected more than once under section 5 Currently graded outstanding at 31 March 2010 and inspected more than once With a previous consecutive section 5 inspection graded outstanding Total as a proportion of all schools currently graded outstanding and inspected more than once under section 5 Total as a proportion of all schools inspected more than once under section 5 
			 Secondary1 3,189 1,611 274 110 40% 7% 
			 Primary 16,905 7,545 991 359 36% 5% 
			 Total 20,094 9,156 1,265 469 37% 5% 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Secondary schools, and primary schools rated "outstanding" by Ofsted in each of their last three section 5 inspections and the proportion of the total number of schools they represent 
			  Open schools at 21 April 2010 and inspected on or before 31 March 2010 Schools inspected at least three times under section 5 Currently outstanding at 31 March 2010 and inspected three times under section 5 With three consecutive section 5 inspections graded outstanding Total as a proportion of all schools currently graded outstanding and inspected more than once Total as a proportion of all schools inspected at least three times under section 5 
			 Secondary1 3,189 112 2 0 0% 0% 
			 Primary 16,905 258 11 0 0% 0% 
			 Total 20,094 370 13 0 0% 0% 
		
	
	1 Secondary schools include secondary, academy and city technology colleges.

Syria

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 22 July (WA 252-3), whether any of the representations mentioned in the Answer covered the arrest of the novelist Raghdah Sa'id Hassan; and, if not, whether they will make representations to the government of Syria about her arrest.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Our embassy in Damascus will raise the case of Ms Hassan with the Syrian Government at the next available opportunity. We will also continue to raise our wider concerns about the poor human rights situation in Syria.

Budget Responsibility Committee

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HM Treasury Ministers have attended meetings of the Budget Responsibility Committee.

Lord Sassoon: The interim Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was established on 17 May 2010 to make an independent assessment of the public finances and the economy for the emergency Budget. The Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC) had direct control over the forecasts and made all the key judgments that drive the official projections. Ministers were not present when decisions on the forecast were taken.
	Members of the BRC met Treasury Ministers on five occasions between May 2010 and the middle of July 2010 to brief them on the OBR forecasts and provide advice on the permanent arrangements for the OBR. Further details are set out in the National Audit Office report of 22 June 2010. This report is available from the National Audit Office website at: http://www.nao.orq.uk/publications/1011/obr budget forecasts.aspx.

Care Homes

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to improve standards in care homes.

Earl Howe: Care and nursing homes must be registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
	Registration with CQC provides assurance of safety and quality for people who use services and patients. From 1 October 2010, the CQC will begin to operate a new system of registration for care homes under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, under which all providers of regulated activities will have to register with the CQC and meet registration requirements that set out essential levels of safety and quality.
	Where providers are found not to be meeting these requirements, the CQC will be able to use a range of enforcement powers to bring them back into compliance, or to prevent people who use services from being exposed to the risk of harm.
	The department and the CQC are presently discussing the replacement for the quality or "star" ratings system for adult social care providers which, by publicising the CQC's assessment of the quality of services, helps drive improvement in services that perform less well.
	The present ratings are based on the existing registration system under the Care Standards Act 2000, so will cease to have legal basis from 1 October.
	There will continue to be a system of providing comparative information about adult social care provision, since this is valuable for both service users and commissioners. The intention is that the new system, which will be more comprehensive and user-friendly, will be in place by April 2011. In the mean time, the quality ratings under the existing system will remain available on the CQC website.

Elections: Voting System

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the alternative vote system proposed in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill is designed to produce a Condorcet winner: that is, one who would beat every other candidate in an exhaustive series of pairwise contests.

Lord McNally: Instant run-off systems, of which the alternative vote is one, will not necessarily produce a Condorcet winner. This is true of systems used for elections across the UK-including the first past the post system, single transferable vote, and open-list systems.
	Under the form of the alternative vote specified in the Bill, candidates must achieve more than 50 per cent of the votes in the count-either at the initial counting stage or, if necessary, at a further counting stage-in order to be elected.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Cabinet Office; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Strathclyde: Buying Solutions, an agency of the Office of Government Commerce within the Cabinet Office operates one website. The main URL of the Buying Solutions website is www.buyingsolutions.gov.uk
	
		
			  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Cost of maintaining site £118,275.52 £144,396.87 £129,338.13 
			 Staffing costs £84,323.74 £64,734.71 £83,042.54 
			 Number of hits (visits) 826,335 543,453 548,715 
			 Number of page impressions 5,198,598 5,255,077 5,317,995 
			 Average visit duration 4 mins 4 secs 6 mins 44 secs 6 mins 16 secs 
		
	
	Over the past three years Cabinet Office has closed 48 websites through the web rationalisation programme.

Health: Pharmacology

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training will be available for students of pharmacology after the closure of Imperial College's pharmacology course for medical students.

Earl Howe: This is a matter for the university concerned. Quality assurance is provided through the General Medical Council (GMC), whose Basic Medical Education process ensures that all GMC recognised medical courses deliver a curriculum that meets the requirements contained in Tomorrow's Doctors.

Elections: Local Government

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many electors are registered to vote in local elections in England due to be held in May 2011.

Lord Astor of Hever: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Elections: UK Referendum

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the total electorates entitled to vote in a United Kingdom-wide referendum based on electorates on 6 May 2010 in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland.

Lord Astor of Hever: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Northern Ireland Office: Taxis

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Northern Ireland Office spent on taxis in March of each of the last two years.

Lord Astor of Hever: Comparable figures for the department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution on 12 April 2010. However, the invoiced expenditure on taxi fares for the period from 12 April 2010 to 31 July 2010 for the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its Executive NDPB, is £3,587.
	These figures exclude taxi fares paid by employees and reimbursed as miscellaneous expenses. These costs can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The NIO keeps the cost of travel on official business under regular review. Departmental guidance requires all staff to use the most efficient means of transport.

Schools: Academies

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which academies are relying on GNVQs to raise their examination results.

Lord Hill of Oareford: We have made no assessment of the extent to which academies are offering vocational qualifications. In order to achieve good results in the achievement and attainment tables, all schools, including academies, must provide core GCSEs in English and maths.
	We are committed to reforming the tables to increase their rigour and ensure a focus on improving educational outcomes for all children and will be making announcements about that in the coming months.

Alcohol

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government in how many cases in each of the last five years when a premises licence holder has been found to be selling alcohol persistently to children the premises licence has been suspended; and for how long.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Section 147B of the Licensing Act 2003 provides for the magistrates' court to suspend a premises licence for a period not exceeding three months, following a conviction under Section 147A of the Licensing Act 2003. Data for licence suspensions under Section 147B are not held centrally.
	However, in 2008, seven defendants were convicted under Section 147A of the Licensing Act 2003. There were no convictions for this offence during 2006 or 2007. Data for 2009 will be published in October 2010.

Government Departments: Websites

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: to ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Home Office; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Baroness Neville-Jones: There are 14 websites (excluding commercial partner websites) run on behalf of or by Home Office agencies. They are as follows:
	Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk/
	Security Industry Authority (SIA) www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/
	National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) www.npia.police.uk
	Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) www.isa-gov.org.uk/
	Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) www.ipcc.gov.uk/
	Identity and Passports Service (IPS) www.ips.gov.uk/
	Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (DISC) www.oisc.gov.uk/
	Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) www.soca.gov.uk/
	UK Border Agency (UKBA) www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk
	UK Border Agency's Visa Services website www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas
	Visa4UK www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk
	Life in the UK test www.Iifeintheuktest.gov.uk/
	National refugee integration forum www.nrif.homeoffice.gov.uk/
	Office for the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/
	For each of the sites, the maintenance costs (a) and website hits (b) are
	as follows:
	Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk/
	Financial Year (FY) 2009-10 £52,3112008-11,009,125 2009-12,440,427 2010 (to July) - 8,040, 070
	Security Industry Authority (SIA) www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/
	No maintenance cost figures availableNo site hits figures available
	National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) www.npia.police.uk/
	£27,450 annuallyNo figures available for 2008 and 20092010 approx 3,600,000
	Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) www.isa-gov.org.uk/
	January 2009 to December 2009 - £9,910.10January 2008 to July 2009 - 1,560,000.July 2009 to July 2010 - 2,500,000
	Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) www.ipcc.gov.uk/
	FY 2009-10 £59,400FY 2007-08 -1,951,245FY 2008-09 -1,765,633FY 2009-10 -1,585,432.
	Identity and Passports Service (IPS) www.ips.gov.uk/
	FY 2009-10- £119,892FY 2008-09 - 8,692,093 FY 2009-10 - 6,379,477 FY 2010 to July - 2,088,605.
	Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (DISC) www.oisc.gov.uk/
	FY 2009-10 - £12,000
	July 2009 - March 2010 17,642,438. No other figures are available.
	Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) www.soca.gov.uk/
	Dec 2009 to July 2010 - £7,496. No other prior figures are available.Dec 2009 to July 2010 - 419,526. No other figures are available.
	The following websites are run by the UK Border Agency.
	Costs and page views are provided where available. In some instances
	costs are not separately identifiable from other IT or contract costs.
	UKBA Main website (www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk)
	FY 2009-10 - £427,093.57. No other prior figures are available.FY 2007-08 - 71,551,848FY 2008-09 - 157, 530, 882FY 2009-10 - 192, 992, 803
	Visa Services
	The UK Border Agency's Visa Services website (www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas) is the former "UKvisas" website, providing policy and operational information for people from overseas applying for visas to come to the UK. The website is hosted on the web platform used by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. The UK Border Agency contributes to the overall platform costs on an annual basis which is calculated on a proportionate basis according to the amount of traffic to the Visa Services site.
	FY 2009-10 - £272,000FY 2008-09 - 57,795,005FY 2009-10 - 73,228,170
	Commercial Partner (CP) websites
	Our commercial partners, CSC Worldbridge and VFS Global, run 140 country websites overseas on behalf of the UK Border Agency, which provide information on how to make an application in individual countries. It is not possible fully to isolate the costs of maintaining these sites as they fall under a wider contract for the provision of visa information services (for example hard copy documentation, responses to e-mail enquiries, translations). However we estimate that in the past two financial years we have spent around £600,000 per annum on the maintenance of the OP websites.
	We do not have data on the total number of visitors to the OP sites. However we assume that the majority of the 2.48 million visa applicants in FY2009-10 will have visited one of the OP country sites at least once during the application process.
	Visa4UK
	Visa4UK www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk is the online application service for applicants overseas. The following costs include all IT work conducted on the Visa4UK and supporting admin websites. The figures do not include the ongoing support costs which cannot be separately identified.
	FY 2009-10 - £301,642We do not have information on the number of 'hits' on the Visa4UK website. However in 2008-09 there were 847,280 completed applications processed on Visa4UK and for 2009-10 there were 923,376.
	Life in the UK test
	This site helps individuals prepare for the Life in the UK Test that is now required in applications for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) in the UK or British citizenship.
	www.lifeintheuktest.gov.uk
	Maintenance and hosting costs are included in those for the main agency website. Page view figures are not available.
	National refugee integration forum
	This website is for health, education and other professionals and volunteers that work with refugees.
	www.nrif.homeoffice.gov.uk
	Maintenance and hosting costs are included in those for the main agency websiteFY 2007-08 - 76,377FY 2008-09- 55,866FY 2009-10- 56,313
	Office for the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency www.icinspector.independent.gov.uk/
	Maintenance and hosting costs are included in those for the main agency website. 2009-10 39,059 (website created 23 April 2009)During the period 2007-10, the Home Office has closed 49 websites

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of No. 10 Downing Street; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Strathclyde: 10 Downing Street is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 31 August. No. 10 has no such agencies.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of HM Treasury; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Sassoon: Maintenance costs during the period 2007-10 for websites which come under the responsibility of the Chancellor of the Exchequer are shown in the table below.
	Maintenance costs include direct costs, for example web hosting, support, and infrastructure. Staff costs are not included as they could only be established at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Website address Maintenance costs 2007-08 (£) Maintenance costs 2008-09 (£) Maintenance costs 2009-10 (£) 
			 www.hm-treasury.qov.uk 117,332 168,549 185,193 
			 thegfp.treasury.gov.uk Nil Nil Nil 
			 http://www.dmo.gov.uk 73,000 55,000 63,000 
		
	
	Visitor statistics during the periods 2007-10 for websites which come under the responsibility of the Chancellor of the Exchequer are;
	
		
			 Website address Page impressions in 2007-08 Page Impressions in 2008-09 Page impressions in 2009-10 
			 www.hm-treasury.qov.uk 3,174,007 6,655,955 12,048,998 
			 thegfp.treasury.gov.uk 101,443 Unavailable Unavailable 
			 http://www.dmo.gov.uk Unavailable Unavailable Unavailable 
		
	
	Maintenance costs for websites closed during the period 2007-10 are as follows;
	
		
			 Website address Maintenance costs 2007-08 (£) Maintenance costs 2008-09 (£) Maintenance costs 2009-10 (£) 
			 www.isb.gov.uk 9,750 Integrated into HMT website Nil 
			 www.stakeholdersavinggov.uk Unavailable Closed Nil 
			 www.ges.gov.uk Nil Nil Integrated into Civil Service website 
			 www.gsr.qov.uk Unavailable Unavailable Integrated into Civil Service website 
			 www.financialinclusion-taskforce.orq.uk Unavailable Integrated into HMT website. Nil 
			 www.euro.gov.uk 11,985 Integrated into HMT website Nil 
			 www.financial-reporting.gov.uk Unavailable Integrated into HMT website Nil 
		
	
	Visitor statistics for websites closed during the period 2007-10 are as follows;
	
		
			 Website address Page impressions in 2007-08 Page impressions in 2008-09 Page impressions in 2009-10 
			 www.isb.gov.uk 195,671 Integrated into HMT website 8,203 
			 www.stakeholdersavinggov.uk 51,495 Closed Nil 
			 www.ges.gov.uk 46,976 Integrated into Civil Service website Nil 
			 www.qsr.gov.uk 198,557 Integrated into Civil Service website Nil 
			 www.financialinclusion-taskforce.orq.uk 27,320 Integrated into HMT website 11,492 
			 www.euro.qov.uk 42,0876 Integrated into HMT website 67,376 
			 www.financial-reporting.gov.uk Unavailable Integrated into HMT website 41,687

Local Communities

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 22 June (WA 168), what steps they are taking to train community organisers to help people set up neighbourhood groups; when the training will begin; who will be responsible for the training; who will devise the training programme; how many community organisers will be appointed; who will employ them; and in which areas they will work.

Lord Strathclyde: The Big Society vision is that more power and opportunity are shifted to individuals and communities. A key part of this is developing the capacity of communities to take the opportunities that this agenda presents and to be more active in shaping the decisions that affect their lives locally.
	Community organisers will focus on developing this capacity, encouraging people to help themselves and to improve their quality of life. Over the lifetime of this Parliament, the community organisers programme will identify, train and support 5,000 people who want to make a difference to their community. The organisers will have a strong understanding of local needs and will catalyse social action by neighbourhood groups, reconnecting local institutions with the community.

Schools

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how, in the context of their education policy, they define a successful school.

Lord Hill of Oareford: A successful school is one which is led effectively, and in which pupils of all abilities progress well and achieve high standards. Such schools have strong teaching, a stimulating curriculum, good behaviour, and pupils feel safe.
	One of the ways that a school can be defined as being successful is through inspection by Ofsted. Ofsted identifies schools which are good or outstanding.
	The Government plan to reform inspection, including freeing outstanding schools from routine inspection if they maintain their performance, and placing a sharper focus on core areas linked to teaching and learning.
	Successful schools will have an important role to play in leading by example, sharing best practice and working with other schools to bring sustained improvement. For instance, every outstanding school that acquires academy freedoms will be expected to partner another school, working collaboratively to drive improvement across the board and tackling underperformance in schools in challenging circumstances.

Schools: Water Supply

Baroness Wilkins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how necessary improvements in school water and toilet facilities will be affected by recent plans to end the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Lord Hill of Oareford: When the Secretary of State for Education announced on 5 July that the Building Schools for the Future programme would be stopped, he also announced a comprehensive review of the department's capital expenditure. This will make recommendations to the Secretary of State on the most effective use of available capital funds. This will include how best to provide funding for maintenance and improvement works, such as to water and toilet facilities in schools.
	Schools and local authorities have already received allocations of devolved capital funds for this spending review period and can choose to spend these funds on water and toilet facilities as they see fit. Allocations from next April will be determined as part of the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review and will be informed by the conclusions of the capital review.

Visas

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether time spent in the United Kingdom on a student visa counts towards the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Time spent in the United Kingdom on a student visa does not count towards the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain.

Armed Forces: Economic Impact

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much income is generated for the local economy each year by (a) RAF Lossiemouth, (b) RAF Kinloss, (c) RAF Leuchars, and (d) RAF Marham.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence has not undertaken any studies into the income that is generated for the local economy by RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Kinloss, RAF Leuchars and RAF Marham. However, the Ministry of Defence is aware of a study conducted by Highlands and Islands Enterprise on behalf of Moray council into the economic impact of RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Kinloss.

Armed Forces: Education

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any savings could be made in the cost of educating the children of service personnel in private schools.

Lord Astor of Hever: We are currently conducting a Strategic Defence and Security Review that is looking at all items of expenditure. Where savings can reasonably be made we will do everything we can to realise them.

Armed Forces: HMNB Devonport

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) civilian, and (b) forces, personnel are employed at HMNB Devonport.

Lord Astor of Hever: Approximately 320 civilians and 440 military personnel are employed at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport. These numbers are full-time equivalent staff employed on 8 September 2010 and are rounded to the nearest 10.
	These figures do not include: private contractors working at the naval base or the adjacent Devonport Dockyard; Military Guarding Service or Ministry of Defence Police; or military units which are lodging at the naval base, such as Flag Officer Sea Training or the Devonport Flotilla.

Armed Forces: Nimrod MRA4

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been spent to date on the Nimrod MRA4 reconnaissance aircraft; and how much they are contractually committed to spend.

Lord Astor of Hever: The total expenditure on the Nimrod MRA4 programme as at 31 July 2010 was approximately £3.9 billion including £3.4 billion for procurement costs. A further £0.15 billion has been contractually committed.
	All projects are being considered as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, and the outcome of this is expected to be announced in the autumn.

Armed Forces: Pilots

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Royal Navy and Royal Air Force pilots are qualified for carrier operations in AV-8B and F/A-18 aircraft; and how many pilots they expect to be so qualified by April 2014.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Royal Navy currently has seven personnel qualified to fly the AV-8B aircraft and two for the F/A-18 aircraft. By April 2014 the Royal Navy expects to have a total of 12 qualified for the AV-8B and 11 qualified for the F/A-18.
	Currently, the RAF has one pilot who is qualified to fly the AV-8B and three are qualified to fly the F/A-18 aircraft. By April 2014, it is planned that there will be one RAF pilot qualified to fly the AV-8B and two qualified to fly the F/A-18.
	Currently the RN has 53 and the RAF has 20 Harrier pilots qualified for carrier operations. However, this will increase by five per year, over the next three years, as new pilots are trained.

Armed Forces: Puma Helicopters

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been spent to date on upgrading Puma helicopters; and how much they are contractually committed to spend.

Lord Astor of Hever: The value of contracts placed as part of the Puma Life Extension Programme is £347 million. To date, £98 million has been spent.

Armed Forces: Relocation

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much it would cost to relocate forces personnel based in Germany back to the United Kingdom.

Lord Astor of Hever: There has been ongoing work since 2006 to relocate some of the existing force elements from Germany to the UK under the BORONA programme. BORONA is responsible for the moves of three major formations: HQ ARRC which completed its move to Gloucester in August 2010; 1 Signal Brigade (7 & 16 Regiments), which is planned to move to Stafford in 2015; and 102 Logistic Brigade which is planned to move to Cosford in 2018. Completion of the moves will result in 3,600 military personnel and their families relocating to the UK, leading to the closure of Rhine Garrison by 2016 and Muster Station by 2019. These moves are dependent on endorsement by the department's Investment Approvals Board which considers all significant financial investment proposals to ensure value for money.
	Post-BORONA, some 15,000 military personnel will continue to be based in Germany in the three remaining Garrisons of Gutersloh, Hohne and Paderbom.
	The relocation of these remaining troops from Germany is being considered as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), which is considering a variety of issues, including personnel. The SDSR is running in parallel with the spending review and together they will ensure decisions are resourced. This work is not yet complete and no mature cost estimates therefore exist.

Armed Forces: Services to Senior Personnel

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 16 March (WA 150), whether the study of services provided to senior personnel in the Ministry of Defence has concluded; and, if so, whether official service residences will continue to be provided.

Lord Astor of Hever: Proposals for future support to Ministers, senior officials and senior officers are currently being considered. Any conclusions will be subject to consultation with the trades unions.

Armed Forces: Training

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) pilots, (b) weapons systems officers, and (c) landing signals officers, in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force have undertaken catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery carrier operations training in each of the last five years; and how many such training programmes will be undertaken in each of the next three years.

Lord Astor of Hever: The tables below show the figures for pilots, weapon systems officers and landing safety officers for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force who have undertaken catapult-assisted take-off and arrested recovery carrier operations training over the past five years and how many such training programmes will be undertaken in each of the next three years. Historical figures given represent numbers meeting the required standard in each year. "Landing Signals Officers" is US terminology-the UK equivalent is "Landing Safety Officers" (LSOs).
	
		
			 Royal Navy 
			 Year Pilot Landing Safety Officers (LSOs) 
			 2005 1 1 
			 2006 1 1 
			 2007 1 1 
			 2008 1 1 
			 2009 0 0 
			 2010 3 2 
			 Planned Training 
			 2011 7 4 
			 2012 10 5 
			 2013 9 5 
		
	
	The Royal Navy has not had any Weapon Systems Officers (WSO) since 1978 because all current RN fast jets are single-seater only.
	
		
			 Royal Air Force 
			 Year Pilot Landing Safety Officers (LSOs) Weapons Systems Officers 
			 2005 2 0 1 
			 2006 3 0 1 
			 2007 3 0 1 
			 2008 3 0 1 
			 2009 3 0 1 
			 2010 3 0 1 
			 Planned Training
			 2011 3 0 1 
			 2012 3 0 1 
			 2013 2 0 1 
		
	
	The RAF does have a small number of LSOs supporting Harrier aircraft as part of Joint Force Harrier. However, none of these is qualified in catapult-assisted take-off and arrested recovery carrier operations.
	Current UK aircraft carriers are only capable of deploying Short Take-off and Vertical Landing aircraft. Consequently, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force training in catapult-assisted take-off and arrested recovery carrier operations takes place only for UK personnel deployed to US carriers as exchange officers. The current design of the proposed "Queen Elizabeth" class aircraft carriers is also configured for the Short-Takeoff and Vertical Landing aircraft variant of the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) but this carrier design could be adapted for the operation of catapult-assisted take-off aircraft. If this option is chosen, the training plan would be altered.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether United Kingdom banks are making appropriate plans to prepare for the withdrawal of government guarantees and liquidity support; and what actions they will take if individual banks are unable to make these adjustments without a significant reduction in their commercial and consumer lending or a deterioration in their liquidity position.

Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority monitors banks' funding plans, including whether they are preparing appropriately for the withdrawal of support and what implications this has for their liquidity position and overall business models. The Bank of England has also been reviewing the plans of the major UK banks.
	The Government take account of this information in considering their policies, including whether credit flows are likely to be sufficient to support stable and sustainable economic growth. As we recently set out in the Green Paper on business finance, the Government are considering whether there are risks to the future provision of finance that should be addressed now, so that an appropriate range of business finance is available for viable businesses as the economy recovers.

Banking: Equity Securities

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they monitor the risks to pension funds, other financial investors and general financial stability caused by the lending of equity securities to investment banks and hedge funds.

Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is the independent regulator of the financial services industry in the UK. The FSA does not generally restrict pension (or other) funds' rights to sell or lend their assets. Stock lending is an investment technique which can contribute to the efficient functioning of financial markets while also generating incremental returns for investors (such as pension funds and insurance companies) on portfolios of shares and bonds.
	Industry has recently issued guidance to improve the understanding of those investors who lend stock. The guidance identifies the risks inherent in stock lending and advises on how to manage those risks. This work has been co-ordinated by the Securities Lending and Repo Committee of the Bank of England. The guidance is available at www.bankofengland.co.uk/markets/gilts/slrc.htm.

Citizens Advice: Report

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the Citizens' Advice Bureau's 2009 report Unreasonable demands? Threatened civil recovery against those accused of shoplifting or employee theft; and whether they will send the CAB a response to the report.

Baroness Wilcox: This Government have not yet formed a view on the 2009 report Unreasonable Demands? from Citizens Advice.

Civil Recovery

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the practice by major retailers and their agents of threatened "civil recovery" against those accused of low-value theft does not breach the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government are aware that different views exist as to whether the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) are capable of applying to the activities of civil recovery agents.
	The CPRs are enforced by the Office of Fair Trading and local authority trading standards services. It is for these enforcement authorities to consider whether there has been a breach of the regulations, on the facts of a particular case. And ultimately it is of course for the courts to rule on the issue after hearing evidence from both parties.

Cuba: Political Prisoners

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made, or intend to make, representations to the government of Cuba regarding the welfare of the journalists Albert Santiago du Bouchet Hernández, sentenced to 3 years in prison on charges of disrespect for authority, Raymundo Perdigón Brito, sentenced to four years in prison charged with social dangerousness under Article 72 of the Cuban criminal code, and Ramón Velázquez Toranzo, also imprisoned after being charged under Article 72.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have long-standing concerns about the detention of political prisoners in Cuba and, along with the EU, regularly raise these concerns with the Cuban Government.
	Our embassy in Havana also maintains links with unofficial non-governmental organisations in the country that keep track of individual cases. From these contacts we understand that Ramón Velazquez Toranzo has been released.
	We remain concerned that "pre-criminal social dangerousness" remains on the statute books and continues to be used by the Government of Cuba to curb dissent or criticism. At the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva the UK formally recommended that Cuba refrain from using such laws to restrict freedom of expression in the country.
	The Government of Cuba committed in July to release all 52 remaining political prisoners detained in the wave of arrests in 2003 and we note that more than half of these individuals have now been released. This is a positive step which we hope will lead to the release of all political prisoners in Cuba and further progress on other human rights issues.

Cybermoor Ltd

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland (HL 1940), how many of the approximately 350 broadband customers of Cybermoor Ltd are served directly by the independent network for which the company has received public funding; and how many are served by British Telecom two-wire local telephone cables.

Baroness Wilcox: Approximately 350; and none.

Cybermoor Ltd

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House all reports and audits pertaining to the use of public money by Cybermoor Services Ltd and Cybermoor Ltd in (a) the wired-up community project for the Department of Education, (b) the innovative actions and broadband projects for the North West Development Agency, (c) the Northumberland Strategic Partnership internet telephony project, and (d) the usability testing on websites for local authorities in Cumbria and the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Baroness Wilcox: Audits relating to the work of Cybermoor are available at http://www.cybermoor.org/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id= 825&Itemid=10. The Government will provide copies of the reports to the Library of the House.

Debt: Advice

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support and advice they offer to vulnerable, poor and unemployed people experiencing multiple problems as a result of increasing personal debt.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government provide support through a number of programmes which seek to help members of the public manage their debts.
	BIS administers a face-to-face debt advice project which helps around 100,000 individuals a year to address problem debt. In addition BIS contributes funds to the telephone debt advice sector via the National Debtline and runs an Illegal Money Lending Project to tackle loan sharks.
	The Legal Services Commission runs the debt advice in prisons project and manages the Community Legal Service Direct legal advice line and face-to-face advice for debt-related problems.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has a range of measures in place with the aim of preventing repossessions, including funding for debt advice services; support for mortgage interest (paid by DWP to unemployed homeowners); the Homeowners Mortgage Support scheme; and the Mortgage Rescue Scheme, which enables the most vulnerable homeowners at risk of repossession to remain in their homes, in most cases as social tenants.
	Going forward, the Government are reviewing the support we provide for debt advice in the context of the current spending review. We want to ensure that future support is properly targeted and achieves value for taxpayers' money.

Defence: RAF Civilian Personnel

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) civilian, and (b) forces, personnel are employed at (1) RAF Lossiemouth, (2) RAF Kinloss, (3) RAF Leuchars, and (4) RAF Marham.

Lord Astor of Hever: The numbers of Ministry of Defence civilian and Service personnel employed at RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Kinloss, RAF Leuchars and RAF Marham are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Data as of July 2010 
			 Location Personnel Total1 
			 Lossiemouth Civilian2 370 
			  Armed Forces3 1,870 
			 Kinloss Civilian2 300 
			  Armed Forces3 1,200 
			 Leuchars Civilian2 270 
			  Armed Forces3 1,060 
			 Marham Civilian2 390 
			  Armed Forces3 2,550 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Due to ongoing validation of data from the Joint Personnel Administration system, Armed Forces data are provisional.
	2. The civilian data include Ministry of Defence (MoD) industrial and non-industrial staff, but do not include staff not directly employed by the MoD, such as contractors.
	3. The Armed Forces personnel data include regulars and full-time reservists stationed at the bases, but may differ from the number of people working at that location at that time due to temporary deployments.

DfID: Governance and Transparency Fund

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will honour commitments to the proposed £100 million Governance and Transparency Fund.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Department for International Development (DfID) has no plans to close the Governance and Transparency Fund (GTF). DfID committed £130 million between 2008 and 2013 to the GTF. The amount committed to the GTF will be assessed as part of DfID's ongoing aid reviews.

DfID: International Development Programme

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many reviews they are conducting of the United Kingdom international development programme; how long the reviews will take to complete; and whether they are all internal reviews.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently conducting three reviews: bilateral aid, multilateral aid and humanitarian emergency response.
	The bilateral aid review will consider which countries should receive UK aid, how much they should receive and which countries should stop receiving UK aid. It will also consider which aid instruments are most effective at delivering poverty reduction in different contexts.
	The multilateral aid review will assess the effectiveness of aid channelled through international agencies such as the World Bank and the United Nations. Each organisation will be tested to ensure that the UK is getting maximum value from its aid money. This will include an assessment of the relevance of each body to the UK's objectives on poverty reduction and their ability to deliver results on the ground.
	The humanitarian emergency response review will review the way the UK responds to humanitarian emergencies. It will look at how we can best work with international bodies and UN agencies in emergency situations to ensure that the global response to disasters is most effective.
	Each of these reviews will be subject to external scrutiny and stakeholder consultation. We expect the bilateral and multilateral aid reviews to be completed by February 2011 and the humanitarian emergency response review by March 2011.

East Jerusalem

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel and President Abbas concerning the threat of forcible deportation from east Jerusalem of Mr Muhammed Abu Teir, Mr Ahmad Attoun, Mr Muhammed Totah and Mr Khaled Abu Arafeh.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Forcible transfer of people out of the city for political reasons, however abhorrent we may find their views, is illegal under international humanitarian law. The EU has raised these specific cases with the Israeli Government, making its views clear. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has also raised these cases with Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. The UK was part of a joint European delegation that attended the Supreme Court hearing on the case of Mr Muhammed Abu Teir.

East Jerusalem

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel regarding the transfer and revocation of identification cards of residents of east Jerusalem.

Lord Howell of Guildford: East Jerusalem is occupied territory. Its Palestinian population has rights under the Geneva conventions. Unilateral attempts to change the demographics of the city by forcing people out are illegal under international humanitarian law and an obstacle to peace.
	The EU has raised this issue with the Israeli Government. Our embassy in Tel Aviv has also raised this matter with Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon.

East Jerusalem

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel regarding the construction of a tram line in east Jerusalem.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK believes such construction will only undermine and prejudge the negotiating process. We have consistently made it clear that settlements are illegal and a clear violation of international law. We continue to call on the parties to work hard to agree a solution that prevents further settlement construction. EU Higher Representative Cathy Ashton made this clear in her statement of 27 July following the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

East Jerusalem

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the construction of a park in Silwan, east Jerusalem.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK believes such construction will only undermine and prejudge the negotiating process. We have consistently made it clear that settlements are illegal and a clear violation of international law. We continue to call on the parties to work hard to agree a solution that prevents further settlement construction. EU Higher Representative Cathy Ashton made this clear in her statement of 27 July following the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

Economy: Growth

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the main factors contributing to the 1.2 per cent expansion in the British economy in the second quarter of 2010; and whether those or other relevant factors remain in place to sustain such growth over the next two quarters of 2010.

Lord Sassoon: The second estimate of 2010 Q2 Gross Domestic Product (GDP), produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and released on 26 August, provided the first estimate of GDP by expenditure component.
	The tables below set out contributions to the 1.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter GDP growth in the second quarter of 2010.
	
		
			 Contributions by expenditure components of GDP 
			 GDP growth ppts 
			 Private consumption 0.5 
			 Govt consumption 0.1 
			 Net trade 0.0 
			 Investment -0.4 
			 Inventories including alignment adjustment 1 .0 
		
	
	
		
			 Contributions by output components of GDP 
			 GDP growth ppts 
			 Agriculture 0.0 
			 Production 0.2 
			 Construction 0.5 
			 Services 0.6 
		
	
	The output, income and expenditure first release for GDP contains a more detailed breakdown and is available from www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/oie0810.pdf. The final estimate of GDP growth in the second quarter with detail on income released on 26 October 2010 may contain revisions.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing forecasts for the UK economy. Its June 2010 forecast published alongside the Budget contains forecasts for the quarterly growth in GDP. These forecasts are presented in Table C4 on page 85 of the Budget 2010 document, and an assessment of near-term prospects for GDP growth is provided in paragraph C18 on page 80.
	The Budget and the OBR forecast is available from www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_complete.pdf.

Education: Research Excellence Framework

Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the development of the research excellence framework for higher education funding will be completed.

Baroness Wilcox: My right honourable friend the Minister for Universities and Science announced on 9 July, with the agreement of the UK's higher education funding bodies, a one-year delay to the implementation of the research excellence framework. This longer timetable will allow HEFCE, its devolved counterparts and the Government to discuss further with experts and to make full use of the pilot impact assessment exercise that is due to conclude in the autumn. Guidance on submissions will be published in mid-2011.The first assessment will take place during 2014 and the outcomes published in late 2014 to inform funding allocations in 2015.

Education: Schools Admission Code

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans there are to review the schools admission code to ensure that entry reflects the community which they serve.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Along with other policies on education, the Government are considering the school admissions framework in the longer term, including the admissions code. We will of course announce any proposals in due course.
	The Government are keen to ensure that the admissions system is responsive to the needs of parents and children, and helps to ensure that children are able to attend good quality schools within their communities.

Electoral Reform

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government to which Government department enquiries on the proposed referendum on the Alternative Vote system should be directed.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government to which Government department enquiries about House of Lords reform should be directed.

Lord McNally: On 2 June 2010 the Prime Minister made a Written Ministerial Statement (Official Report, col. 22WS) outlining machinery of government changes consequent to formation of the coalition Government. The Statement outlines that the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for political and constitutional reform. The Lord President of the Council Order 2010 (SI 1837) which came into force on 18 August duly transfers a number of functions, including responsibility for electoral policy, to the Deputy Prime Minister.
	Enquiries relating to arrangements for a referendum on the Alternative Vote, as provided for by the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill and relating to reform of the House of Lords, should be directed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Mark Harper (Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform) in the Cabinet Office. Lord McNally, Minister of State, Ministry of Justice provides support on political and constitutional reform in this House.

Electoral Reform

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the franchise for the proposed referendum on the Alternative Vote system will be that for an election to the Scottish Parliament or for an election to the United Kingdom Parliament.

Lord McNally: The franchise for the referendum on the alternative vote system is set out in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, which the Government published on Thursday 22 July and had its Second Reading on 6 September.
	Anyone who on the date of the referendum is entitled to vote in Westminster parliamentary elections will be entitled to vote in the referendum. This means that British, Republic of Ireland and qualifying Commonwealth citizens who are aged over 18, not subject to any legal incapacity to vote and who are registered to vote in parliamentary elections can vote in the referendum. It also includes those entitled to vote in parliamentary elections as overseas electors. In addition, those Members of the House of Lords who are eligible to vote in local or European parliamentary elections will be eligible to vote in this referendum.
	The franchise for an election to the Scottish Parliament is the same as that for local government elections and so does not apply to this referendum. A person is entitled to vote in a local government election if they are a British, qualifying Commonwealth, Republic of Ireland or European Union citizen, resident and registered to vote as a local government elector in that electoral area. In addition, they must be 18 years or over on polling day and not subject to any legal incapacity to vote.

Electoral Reform

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they have had with the Scottish Government regarding the proposal to hold a referendum on the Alternative Vote system on the same day as the Scottish Parliament Election in 2011; and what response they have received.

Lord McNally: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer provided to the honourable Members for Caerphilly and Wyre and Preston North in the House of Commons on 9 September 2010 (Official Report, col. 647W).

Electoral Register

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will discuss with the Electoral Commission and the political parties the availability of information from the marked register of electors; and whether they will reconsider the guidelines restricting the copying of such information to hand-written notes.

Lord McNally: The Government have no current plans to amend legislation governing the availability of the marked electoral register. While individuals may inspect and make handwritten notes from the register, it may be supplied to political parties for a fee. The level of fees charged by local authorities for this service was set in the Representation of the People (Amendment) Regulations 2008 following consultation with key stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission, elected representatives and officials from political parties.

Electoral Register

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people who are eligible to vote are not currently on the electoral register.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for Office for National Statistics, to Lord Kennedy, dated September 2010
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many people who are eligible to vote are not currently on the electoral register [HL2047].
	ONS does not have the data required to answer your question. Data are collected on the number of people who are registered to vote in the UK, but no data are collected on the number of people who are eligible to vote but who choose not to register.
	The ONS population estimates are of the resident population and will include some people who are not eligible to vote.

Electoral Register

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much will be spent in 2010 on alerting citizens to the importance of being included on the electoral register.

Lord McNally: It is the responsibility of local authorities to allocate resources from the revenue support grant provided by central Government to electoral registration. Figures for projected expenditure on electoral registration by local authorities in 2010 are not available centrally.
	Under the Government's participation fund, a total of £67,354.96 is planned to be spent in 2010-11. This sum relates to the cost of activities which were undertaken by local authority electoral officers to encourage participation at the elections which were held on 6 May, in line with their duties under Section 69 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006. The participation fund was concluded as part of the emergency Budget of 22 June 2010. Support for the work of electoral registration officers will be considered as part of the move to individual electoral registration.
	In addition, the Electoral Commission runs campaigns to encourage voter registration and provide information on elections as part of its duty under Section 13(1)(a) of the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

FCO: Human Rights Monitoring

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's annual report and review of global standards of human rights, which highlight those countries where abuses are recorded, in comparison with the work of the United States Department of State and of the European Union; and whether the scope, depth and frequency of this reporting by the FCO will be maintained.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials engage with their counterparts at the US State Department and European Commission about their annual reporting on human rights. But we have not carried out any direct comparison as the three reports, while complementary, serve different audiences and purposes. The US report covers the human rights situation in all countries. The EU report focuses on EU activity to promote human rights internationally. The FCO report focuses on situations of particular interest or concern to the UK and on issues where we believe we can take action and make a difference. The FCO regularly receives positive feedback from non-governmental organisations, academics and our missions overseas on the effectiveness of our human rights reporting which confirms that this is the most valuable information for our readers.
	My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary is keen to improve the way in which the FCO reports on human rights worldwide. In addition to an annual report to Parliament, the FCO will also make reporting on its human rights activity more accessible to the public online through the FCO website, allowing access to more real-time information on our human rights work.

First Trust Bank

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following any sale of First Trust Bank, they will ensure that former employees of the company who live in the United Kingdom will not suffer any material detriment in their pension provisions.

Lord Sassoon: Any sale of First Trust Bank would be a commercial transaction by its owners, Allied Irish Banks plc.
	Provisions in the Pensions Act 2004 and the Transfer of Employment (Pension Protection) Regulations 2005 require new employers to make pension provision where Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) transfer has taken place and the employee had access to an occupational pension prior to the transfer.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the 1999-2000 systematic scientific review into water fluoridation commissioned by them from the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York, which found that the evidence about reducing inequalities in child dental health was of "poor quality, contradictory and unreliable", what subsequent high quality controlled trials were relied on by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, Anne Milton, in her statement of 7 July (HC Deb 344W) that the potential for reducing inequalities was "well illustrated".

Earl Howe: The justification for the argument that water fluoridation offers the best prospect of reducing inequalities in oral health is that, in contrast to alternatives for applying fluoride to the teeth such as regular tooth brushing with fluoridated toothpaste, its effects do not depend on individual compliance. In the absence of controlled studies, which are very difficult to design for population-wide interventions, I find the evidence quoted by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Anne Milton) in her reply to the honourable Member for Pendle persuasive.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe (HL 1899), whether the statement in section 4.6 of the South Central Strategic Health Authority's 2008 public consultation document on water fluoridation, "However, this was part of a larger study (13) looking at many more osteosarcoma cases over a longer period", with the reference "13. Douglass C.W., Joshipura, K. (2006), 'Caution Needed in Fluoride and Osteosarcoma Study', Cancer Causes and Control, Vol 17, pp 481-482", was sufficient to inform an average member of the public that the larger study referred to and cited had not been published and the citation referred only to a letter.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the document authored by Douglass, C.W. & Joshipura, K., cited at reference 13 in the South Central Strategic Health Authority's public consultation document on water fluoridation, may be accessed online free of charge so that a member of the public may evaluate its content and status as a letter; and, if so, on which website it is available.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the full document authored by Bassin et al, cited at reference 12 in the South Central Strategic Health Authority's public consultation document on water fluoridation, may be accessed online free of charge so that a member of the public can evaluate its content; and, if so, on which website it is available.

Earl Howe: The Bassin study and the letter issued by Douglass and Joshipura can be accessed on the internet from the references in South Central Strategic Health Authority's consultation document at the following addresses:
	www.altcancerweb.com/fluoride/fluoride_osteosarcoma.pdfwww.springerlink.com/content/d821w11lu1100544/fulltext.pdf
	No subscription fees are required for access to either item. Professors Douglass and Joshipura confirmed that the larger study had not been published in the conclusion to their letter by stating, "readers are cautioned not to generalize and over-interpret the results of the Bassin et al. paper and to await the publications from the full study, before making conclusions, and especially before influencing any related policy decisions".

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether reference 13 in the South Central Strategic Health Authority's public consultation document on water fluoridation should read "Cancer Causes and Control, Vol 17, 4:481-482" instead of "Cancer Causes and Control, Vol 17, pp 481-482".

Earl Howe: The heading on the document reads Cancer Causes Control 17: 481-482. It can be traced from inserting either reference into a search engine.

Government Departments: Websites

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many websites are operated by, or on behalf of, agencies of the Attorney General's Office; and what is (a) the cost of maintaining those websites, (b) the number of hits each website received, and (c) the number of websites closed by the department, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The information requested is outlined below.
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department is responsible for the following websites: www.tsol.gov.uk, www. bonavacantia.gov.uk and www.gls.gov.uk.
	The cost of the above sites and the number of page impressions since 2007-08 are shown in the tables below.
	
		
			 TSo1: www.tsol.gov.uk 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Maintenance / hosting & infrastructure costs £9,000 £9,000 £9,000 
			 Internal maintenance costs £1,166 £1,166 £2,310 
			 Design & build nil nil £1,425 
			 Content provision (internal) nil nil nil 
			 Testing & evaluation nil nil nil 
			 Strategy & planning nil nil nil 
			 Page views 279,488 349,024 514,848 
		
	
	
		
			 Bona Vacantia: www.bonavacantia.gov.uk 
			  2007-08 2008-091 2009-10 
			 Maintenance / hosting & infrastructure costs £4,513 £14,123 £6,347 
			 Internal maintenance costs nil nil nil 
			 Design & build £243 £6,887 nil 
			 Content provision (internal) n/a £246 nil 
			 Testing & evaluation nil £19,975 nil 
			 Strategy & planning nil £6,345 nil 
			 Page views 7,109,448 4,736,3582 2,777,149 
		
	
	1 Costs for 2008-09 include a project to redesign and restructure the BV website.
	2 BV page views are significantly impacted by the broadcasting of the BBC "Heir Hunters" programme.
	
		
			 Government Legal Service: www.gls.gov.nk 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Maintenance / hosting & infrastructure costs external £9,000 £9,000 £9,000 
			 Internal maintenance costs £600 £600 £600 
			 Content provision (internal) nil nil nil 
			 Other costs nil nil nil 
			 Page views 285,329 345,032 726,697 
		
	
	The National Fraud Authority operates one website as part of the Action Fraud service. The Action Fraud website was launched in February 2010, with no maintenance costs charged before the end of the financial year. The NFA does not collect data on the staff costs for maintaining the Action Fraud website, which is provided as part of the NFA's operational cost. The website received 72,496 hits between its launch and year end in March 2010.
	Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) operates only its main website, www.hmcpsi.gov.uk. Cost associated with maintaining the website is on the webhosting/domain name registration (see table below). All other work related to maintaining the website is done in-house and is part of the work stream anticipated for the communication team; it would be disproportionate to cost to identify individual tasks relating to those particular tasks. The number of page views of HMCPSI's website for which information is available are shown in the table below.
	
		
			 HMCPSI: www.hmcpsi.gov.uk 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Webhosting/domain name registration £365.43 (inc VAT) £233.83 (inc VAT) £228.85 (inc VAT) 
			 Page views No data available No data available 31,000* 
		
	
	* Data available only from 11 Jan 2010. Figure covers 11 Jan 2010 to 31 Mar 2010 (79 days).
	The Serious Fraud Office has only ever hosted one website: www.sfo.gov.uk. The number of visits the website received in the last three years and the maintenance costs are as follows.
	
		
			 Serious Fraud Office: www.sfo.gov.uk 
			 Calendar Year Number of website visits 
			 01/01/2008 to 31/12/2008 180,093 
			 01/01/2009 to 31/12/2009 242,267 
			 01/01/2010 to 30/07/2010 (7 months) 117,354 
		
	
	
		
			 Financial Year Costs of Website Maintenance 
			 01/04/2008 to 31/03/2009 £3,913 
			 01/04/2009 to 31/03/2010 £3,913 
		
	
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) runs one website: www.cps.gov.uk. The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) ran one website until December 31 2009: www.repo.gov.uk
	Central records held by both CPS and the former RCPO do not differentiate between different categories of website expenditure. The CPS figures below therefore include expenditure on all staff costs, hosting, design, maintenance, development, content (including Welsh translation), training and publishing, as well as some costs for work on the staff intranet. Staff and hosting costs are estimated.
	In line with industry standards and COI guidance TG116, the number of page impressions has been reported as a measure of the volume of site usage. This is a more reliable measure than the number of "hits", which would also include requests for additional files associated with a web page that the user has not directly requested.
	
		
			 Crown Prosecution Service 
			 Year Total Cost Page impressions 
			 2007-08 £152,947.15 6,993,804 
			 2008-09 £280,556.28 9,723,915 
			 2009-10 264,632.67 12,133,693 
		
	
	RCPO spent £62,165 in 2008-09 which includes not only maintenance but also the costs of the design, strategy and planning, build, hosting, infrastructure, content provision, testing, evaluation and staff costs. RCPO was set up in 2005. Records for website spend are not available before 2008-09 and could be determined only at disproportionate cost. RCPO website costs for 2009-10 relate only to staffing and are estimated at £3,490. RCPO does not hold records for its website usage.
	The RCPO website is the only one maintained by the Law Officers' departments which has been closed during the last three years. This occurred on 31 December 2009 and relevant content was moved to the CPS website, in line with the merger of the two departments on 1 January 2010.

Government Spending: Green Review

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the review led by Sir Philip Green on the efficiency of government spending will be published; how much they estimate the review will cost; how many civil servants have been allocated to support the review; and whether the review will employ external management consultants and accountants; and, if so, how much they will cost.

Lord De Mauley: Sir Philip Green has been appointed by the Prime Minister to lead an external efficiency review into government spending. The role is unpaid. Sir Philip is supported in this work by a small team from existing Arcadia Group staff who are also providing their services free of charge. Sir Philip is also being supported by a team of five officials from the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, the costs of which are being met from within existing resources. There are no plans for the review to employ external consultants or accountants. Sir Philip will report before the end of the spending review to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, and Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander.

Health Protection Agency

Baroness Thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the abolition of the Health Protection Agency in 2012, which organisation would be responsible for public health issues arising from an event such as the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in November 2006 and the subsequent contamination of highly toxic radioactive polonium; and to whom they would be accountable for their response.

Earl Howe: The Health Protection Agency's (HPA) functions will transfer to the Secretary of State, as part of the creation of the new public health service that will protect and help improve the nation's health and well-being, including responding to emergencies and will bring together, for the first time, key professionals involved in public health, from national to local level. Officials will continue to work closely with the HPA as the transformation into the public health service is planned. The changes to the HPA will, of course, be subject to the approval of Parliament.

Health: Contaminated Blood

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will announce the outcome of their review of the Department of Health's handling of the issues addressed by the independent public inquiry headed by Lord Archer of Sandwell into the use of contaminated blood products in the treatment of NHS patients; and whether, in the interim, they will announce any new help for infected patients and the bereaved families of haemophilia patients infected with HIV and hepatitis C by contaminated NHS blood products.

Earl Howe: We are currently looking at the needs and wishes of those who have been infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C by National Health Service-supplied contaminated blood and blood products. We intend to report the outcome of this work by the end of this year. In the interim, there will be no changes to the current system of ex-gratia payments.

Health: Diabetes

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any side-effects of the diabetes drug Avandia.

Earl Howe: Avandia (rosiglitazone) is a treatment for type 2 (adult onset) diabetes authorised by the European Commission. Rosiglitazone can potentially cause a number of adverse reactions. Potential side effects listed in the product information include weight gain, cardiac ischaemia and cardiac failure.
	The safety of rosiglitazone has been kept under continuous close review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in conjunction with its independent scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM).
	On the basis of CHM advice, the MHRA has contributed to Europe-wide reviews of rosiglitazone conducted by the European Medicines Agency's (EMA's) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), particularly regarding the cardiovascular safety of rosiglitazone. Emerging data have been evaluated, and updated advice, including new restrictions on use and warnings, has been issued to prescribers, via the Drug Safety Update bulletin.
	The MHRA is contributing to the current European assessment of the balance of risks and benefits of rosiglitazone which is anticipated to conclude this month.
	Full prescribing guidance, including information on possible side effects, can be found in the rosiglitazone Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for health professionals and the rosiglitazone Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) at http://www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/searchresults.aspx?term=avandia&searchtype=QuickSearch.

High Court: Records

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to give the public direct access to the official digital records of High Court proceedings.

Lord McNally: The High Court does not keep a full digital record of proceedings and the Government have no plans to make the records that exist directly available to the public. Members of the public can apply to the court for a transcript of proceedings in a named case and, if allowed, would usually have to bear the cost of obtaining this.

Homelessness: City of Westminster

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Hanham (HL1872, HL1873 and HL1874), how many vacant hostel beds there were in the City of Westminster on the night that the 2010 rough sleeper count was taken; and what was the date of that count.

Baroness Hanham: Local authorities, outreach teams and supported housing providers work together to bring people into hostels from the streets as quickly as possible. The department does not hold information on the number of vacant hostel beds in Westminster on the night of their last rough sleeper count on 28th April 2010.
	There are also helpful data compiled over the year on rough sleeping in London, including specific information on Westminster, available on the CHAIN (Combined Homelessness and Information Network) database on http://www.homelesspages.org.uk/node/24170.

House of Commons: September Sitting

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total additional expenditure, including staffing costs and rephasing of works, associated with the House of Commons sitting in September.

Lord Strathclyde: Expenditure associated with the September sitting of the House of Commons is primarily a matter for the House of Commons Commission, which will have incurred such expenditure on behalf of the House.

Human Rights

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which policy will take priority where the policy requiring embassy officers to pursue trading and business opportunities on behalf of the United Kingdom economy is applied to countries where such actions would be in conflict with existing policy on adverse human rights records.

Lord Howell of Guildford: As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary said in his recent speech at Lincoln's Inn, we see human rights as essential to and indivisible from our foreign policy objectives. We cannot achieve long-term security and prosperity unless we uphold our values. We have a strategic interest in promoting our values which form the essential framework for the pursuit of our security and prosperity.

Institutional Investors: Voting Records

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Wilcox (HL1802 and HL1803), on what data they based their assessment that "the proportion of institutional investors who publicly disclose their voting records has increased since 2004".
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Wilcox (HL1802 and HL1803), what proportion of institutional investors publicly disclosed their voting records in each year since 2004.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Wilcox (HL1802 and HL1803), what discussions they have held with the Financial Reporting Council regarding their approach to assessing the implementation of the Stewardship Code.

Baroness Wilcox: The department's assessment of the proportion of institutional investors who publicly disclosed their voting records is based on the Investment Management Association's surveys of fund managers' engagement with companies.
	This gives the following data for 2004 to 2008.
	
		
			 Year Number of firms surveyed Number of firms disclosing voting (website disclosure) Percentage of surveyed firms disclosing voting (%) 
			 2008 32 24 75 
			 2006 33 15 45 
			 2005 35 10 29 
			 2004 34 7 21 
		
	
	Note: A single figure for 2007 was not recorded.
	The department keeps in regular contact with the Financial Reporting Council about the stewardship code and a wide range of corporate governance matters.

Jobcentre Plus

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to charge calls to Jobcentre Plus at a local, rather than premium, rate; and what income is derived from the current practice.

Lord Freud: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not currently have any plans to use local geographic telephone numbers and does not use premium rate numbers for its services. The DWP strives to achieve the right balance between meeting customer needs and using taxpayers' money effectively.
	The DWP policy is that all calls should be free to our 0800 numbers to claim for benefits and emergency payments. The department's 0845 numbers are not part of this policy because they are for inquiries that typically take less time to resolve. These calls are charged at the standard rate for landlines and mobile phones, although costs can vary between different operators and contracts.
	Where a customer raises a concern over the cost of the call or asks, we will offer to call them back. Alternatively, we also provide customer access phones in a large number of our Jobcentre Plus offices. This enables customers to make benefit or job search enquiries without incurring telephone costs. Customers who have access to a computer can also use online facilities as an alternative to calling our 0800 and 0845 services.
	It is free to call DWP 0800 numbers from BT landlines and agreements are in place to ensure that it is free to call via nine of the UK's largest mobile phone operators, representing 95 per cent of the mobile market. We are continuing to work with the remaining mobile phone providers to negotiate free calls to DWP 0800 numbers.
	The department does not receive any revenue from telephone service providers.

Kosovo

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to Kosovo, bilaterally and through the European Union, in 2010 and 2011; and what form this assistance takes.

Lord De Mauley: UK bilateral assistance to Kosovo is expected to be almost £8 million in 2010-11. This includes over £3.5 million from the Department for International Development (DfID) and approximately £4 million which is provided through the Conflict Prevention Pool, a tri-departmental fund managed by DfID, the FCO and the Ministry of Defence. This includes funding for secondments in the EU Common Security and Defence Policy Mission (EULEX) and the International Civilian Office (ICO). Bilateral programmes of assistance focus on governance, rule of law, jobs, growth and post-conflict stability, and mainly take the form of technical assistance and project support.
	The EU supports democratic and economic development in Kosovo in line with the evolution of Kosovo's relationship with the EU. EU financial assistance to Kosovo through the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) is set to total €67.3 million in 2010 and €68.7 million in 2011. On 8 September 2010, the EU provided an additional €30 million in macro-financial assistance and over the period November 2009 to October 2010 the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy- budget will provide €145 million to EULEX. EULEX costs after October 2010 are still under negotiation. Approximately 15 per cent of this expenditure can be attributed to UK funds.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Lord Liddle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the criteria they are adopting for the establishment of the new Local Economic Partnerships, questions of geographic size, labour market "travel to work" homogeneity and established local affinities will be taken into account alongside population.

Baroness Wilcox: No decisions have been taken regarding the criteria for evaluating Local Enterprise Partnerships beyond those set out in the joint letter from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, dated 29 June, which requested outline proposals.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Lord Liddle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider Cumbria sufficiently large in population to make for a viable Local Enterprise Partnership, should this be the clear wish of the local authorities and the Cumbria business community.

Baroness Wilcox: No decisions have been taken regarding the criteria for evaluating Local Enterprise Partnerships beyond those set out in the joint letter from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, dated 29 June, which requested outline proposals.
	Over the coming weeks Ministers will consider the proposals in detail, looking at how they will support economic growth, before providing feedback to partnerships ahead of the publication of the White Paper on sub-national economic growth and the introduction of the localism Bill.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Lord Liddle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any resources will be made available from central government or residual Regional Development Agency funding to meet the set-up, running and staffing costs of the new Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Baroness Wilcox: Decisions regarding the funding of Local Enterprise Partnerships will not be taken until after the spending review.

Migration Advisory Committee

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of the Migration Advisory Committee; when they were appointed; what are their qualifications; what is their term of office; and whether they intend to widen the pool from which replacements will be sought.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The membership of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), their qualifications and their experience is available on the committee's website at http://www. ukba. homeoffice.gov. uk/aboutus/ workingwithus/indbodies/ma c/aboutthemac/ memberbiographies/.
	The MAC is comprised of some of the UK's top labour market economists.
	The committee chair, David Metcalf, was appointed on 6 August 2007 and his contract was extended for a further three years on 5 August 2010. The other committee members were appointed on 7 December 2007 for a period of three years. Those contracts may be extended or replacements may be sought following a formal appraisal process if the MAC chair and Minister consider it to be in the MAC's best interests.

National Insurance

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many National Insurance Numbers have been assigned to overseas nationals entering the United Kingdom since 1 January 2002; and how many of those have been issued to self-employed overseas nationals.

Lord Freud: The National Insurance Number (NINo) statistics produced by DWP show the number of adult overseas nationals entering the UK and registering for a NINo in order to work (including the self-employed or students working part time) or to claim benefits and tax credits. These data are shown in the table below.
	Information on whether applicants are employed or self-employed forms part of the NINo application process, but is not held centrally on the IT systems. Therefore data on self-employed overseas nationals are not available.
	This information is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website at http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/
	
		
			 NINo Registrations to Adult Overseas Nationals entering the UK (000s): Time Series - 2002-10 
			 Calendar Year Total of Registration Date 
			 Total 4,585.63 
			 2002 311.34 
			 2003 362.21 
			 2004 412.78 
			 2005 618.56 
			 2006 633.05 
			 2007 796.88 
			 2008 669.56 
			 2009 613.21 
		
	
	Source: 100% extract from National Insurance Recording & Pay As You Earn System Notes:
	1. Time series - Calendar Year Of Registration Date Years are calendar based (1 Jan - 31 Dec). Only complete years are included.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and displayed in thousands. Some additional disclosure control has been applied. Total may not sum due to rounding method used. Data are cumulative from 1 Jan 2002.
	3. Registration date is derived from the date at which a NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording & Pay As You Earn System
	4. Data on the economic status of the overseas national are not available.
	5. A very small proportion on NINo registrations are to overseas nationals registering while abroad.

NHS Direct

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new 111 service with which they propose to replace NHS Direct will be designed to ensure that answers will be given in plain English, unless an alternative is requested.

Earl Howe: It is important to clarify that when NHS 111 is rolled out nationally, it will only replace the NHS Direct 0845 4647 telephone number.
	The fundamental purpose of NHS 111 is to provide a clear and understandable service. Call handlers are trained to adopt a communication style which is jargon- free, empathic and modified to suit people's individual needs. Where a caller's first language is not English, a language translation service will be available.

NHS: Parking

Baroness Thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure free car parking for cancer patients at hospitals, in the light of the finding of recent research by Macmillan Cancer Support that almost 60 per cent of patients are still paying the full price when they travel for their treatment.

Earl Howe: National Health Service organisations have the autonomy to make decisions that best suit their local circumstances. However, should car park charges discourage patients from accessing their services or friends and families from visiting patients, or prevent staff doing their jobs properly, those NHS organisations have a responsibility to look at those factors.

NHS: Reorganisation

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial inducements have been offered to (a) highest-grade NHS officials, and (b) chief executives and other managers now employed by NHS primary care trusts, to take voluntary redundancy as part of the proposed NHS reorganisation.

Earl Howe: The department announced the launch of a nationally consistent, voluntary resignation scheme on 2 September 2010. The scheme is called mutually agreed resignation (MAR). A MAR scheme is not a redundancy or a voluntary redundancy scheme. It is an additional option, designed to let people who are not at risk of redundancy apply to leave in return for a severance payment. This will help provide strategic health authorities and primary care trusts with an additional way of maintaining a stable and flexible workforce, given the requirement for them to significantly reduce management costs. It is ultimately for organisations to decide locally whether to implement the scheme.
	The payment rate is set at half a month's pay for each year of reckonable service up to a maximum of 12 months' pay. The maximum amount payable under the scheme is half that of National Health Service redundancy terms. The scheme contains a minimum payment of three months' pay for staff with one to six years' service. Entitlement is, therefore, dependent on length of service and salary and can be offered to all groups of staff in participating NHS organisations depending on the local criteria employed for selection.

NHS: Reorganisation

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the redundancy terms contractually available to (a) highest- grade NHS officials, (b) primary care trusts' chief executives, and (c) other NHS managers.

Earl Howe: Redundancy payments to National Health Service staff on Agenda for Change (AfC) terms and conditions are made in line with the arrangements set out in section 16 of the AfC terms and conditions of service handbook. These redundancy terms are also applicable to employed doctors. Chief executives, executive directors and executive level staff employed by strategic health authorities and primary care trusts fall within the Very Senior Managers (VSM) pay framework. Redundancy terms of managers on the VSM pay framework will depend on their contract of employment. Although there are no standard national redundancy terms for managers on the VSM pay framework, typically employers tend to use the AfC terms.
	Under these arrangements, the standard redundancy terms are one month's pay per year of reckonable service up to a maximum of 24 months' pay. Entitlement is, therefore, dependent on length of service and salary.
	Members of the pension scheme aged over the minimum pension age may choose to use their redundancy payment to pay for their retirement pension to be paid on redundancy without reduction. The previous redundancy arrangements involving enhancements of service of up to 10 years are being phased out and will cease to apply completely from October 2011.
	Section 16 makes it clear that before making staff redundant, employers should seek suitable alternative employment either in their own organisation or with another NHS employer.

NHS: Reorganisation

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimated funds are set aside to meet the cost of (a) those who volunteer for redundancy, and (b) those who are made redundant under NHS reorganisation proposals.

Earl Howe: It is the responsibility of National Health Service organisations to ensure that all costs of any voluntary severance scheme or redundancy scheme are affordable within their overall resources.

Northern Ireland: Father James Chesney

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland's findings in respect of Father James Chesney's involvement in the IRA bombings in Claudy on 31 July 1972 and the role of the church, the police and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in suppressing that involvement.

Baroness Verma: I refer the noble Lord to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland's Statement of 24 August. The Secretary of State made a full apology on behalf of the Government. That apology was reiterated on 8 September by my right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister (Official Report, Commons, 8/9/10; col. 318).
	I have placed a copy of the Secretary of State's Statement in the Library of the House.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any of the information provided to the Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility is market sensitive.

Lord Sassoon: In producing the overall fiscal forecast and certifying policy costings, the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility will have access to market-sensitive information, including on possible Budget measures.

Pakistan: Blasphemy Laws

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan following the deaths on 19 July in Faisalabad of Pastor Rashid Emmanuel and Pastor Sajid Emmanuel on their way to court to face charges under this part of the criminal code.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The tragic deaths of Rashid Emmanuel and Sajid Emmanuel are the latest example of violence against members of a religious minority. The UK condemns this strongly, and officials from our high commission in Islamabad have raised this case with the Pakistani Ministry of Minorities.
	Alongside our EU partners, we regularly raise the importance of the blasphemy laws being reformed and properly implemented by the Government of Pakistan. It is vital that the Government of Pakistan uphold the fundamental rights of all of their citizens.

Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to foster democracy in Palestine.

Lord Howell of Guildford: It is in the interests of peace that the Palestinians unite behind a single political programme committed to the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The UK supports President Abbas's efforts towards national reconciliation on those terms and his associated call for free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections. At the same time the UK supports a wide range of programmes and projects in the occupied Palestinian territories which are designed to increase accountability, good governance and the rule of law.

Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel regarding the 11 members of the Palestine Legislative Council serving prison sentences in Israel since the 2006 election.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK continues to follow Israeli detention operations closely and monitor the situation of Palestinian prisoners. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to take immediate action to ensure all cases are reviewed by a court in accordance with fair procedures and that their rights, particularly the rights to a fair trial and family visit, should be upheld.

Parliamentary Boundary Reviews

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government , at the last parliamentary boundary review, how many recommendations were changed from those originally published by the Boundary Commission following local inquiries.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many parliamentary boundary reviews have been held since 1900; and how many of those reviews have included the ability to hold local inquiries.

Lord McNally: The number of constituencies resulting from the fifth general review in each part of the UK where revised recommendations were published (in light of all the evidence received, including local inquiry reports) is as follows:
	
		
			 England 166 
			 Northern Ireland 8 
			 Wales 3 
			 Scotland 28 
		
	
	The Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were established as permanent bodies in 1944 and since then have each conducted an initial review and five periodic reviews. The provisions allowing local inquiries date from legislation of 1949, and therefore were in place for each of the five periodic reviews in each part of the UK.

Parliaments: Cost

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the mean annual per-capita cost to the Exchequer, in total and broken down by salary, pension provision, expenses, staff salaries, staff pension provision and staff expenses, building maintenance and any travel between parliamentary buildings of each member of (a) the House of Commons, (b) the House of Lords, (c) the European Parliament, (d) the Scottish Parliament, (e) the National Assembly for Wales, (f) the Northern Ireland Assembly, and (g) the Greater London Authority.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The House of Commons and House of Lords have provided data relating to costs on a resource basis, consistent with their resource accounts.
	
		
			 House of Commons Note 2009/10 (£000) 
			 Members' salaries, pensions, allowances and travel a 154,989 
			 Salaries and pensions for House staff b 80,488 
			 Accommodation, including rent, operating costs and security c 86,607 
			 Other administration costs d 11,832 
			 Total  433,916

Planning: Double Glazing

Lord Steel of Aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to allow the use of argon gas-filled slimline double glazing, or similar products, in the replacement of window panes in listed buildings, in order to improve the energy efficiency of such buildings.

Baroness Hanham: There is no statutory bar to the use of this type of double glazing on a listed building, or to any other particular kind of alteration. Planning Policy Statement 5 (Planning for the Historic Environment) advises local planning authorities to identify opportunities to enhance the energy efficiency of heritage assets, including listed buildings. However, it is for individual authorities to determine the extent to which any proposed alteration to a listed building might affect its heritage interest, and whether it can be permitted.

Playing Fields

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what policies are being pursued to increase the number of playing fields in England to encourage increased participation in sporting, leisure and recreational activities.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many playing fields have been lost in England (a) over the past two decades, and (b) in each of the last five years; and what measures they will take to redress the loss.

Baroness Rawlings: The Government do not hold figures on the number of playing fields lost. Sport England, in its capacity as statutory consultee, publishes annual data on planning applications affecting playing fields. The available data can be found at www. sportengland.org/facilities_planning/putting_policy_ into_practice/playing_fields.aspx.
	In the case of school playing fields, schools in England need permission from the Secretary of State for Education before they can sell any school playing fields or any part of a school playing field. Where permission is given any proceeds from the sale must be reinvested to provide new sports or educational facilities for the school, or improve existing ones.
	We are currently considering how we can strengthen the existing provisions for the protection of playing fields.

Regional Development Agencies

Lord Liddle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions they have given to Regional Development Agencies about their permitted expenditure before their abolition in 2012; and whether they are prepared to permit any expenditure on projects other than those subject to firm contractual commitments that were made before the announcement of the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies in the June 2010 Budget.

Baroness Wilcox: The RDAs were issued with a revised financial control framework on 29 July. This sets out the circumstances in which RDAs can enter new financial commitments. RDAs may make new commitments in 2010-11 within the terms of their delegations where all of the following conditions are met:
	a) BIS is satisfied that the RDA has demonstrated how its share of the in-year cut will be delivered without increasing commitments in later years;b) The RDA confirms that, having regard to all of commitments and obligations, it will remain within its 2010/11 budget allocation; andc) The new commitment has no financial consequences for 2011-12 or later years.
	BIS and HMT are prepared to consider exceptional cases for new commitments in line with the Government's core objectives where they give rise to expenditure in 2011-12 or later years (either directly or indirectly). These will need to be considered in light of the current financial constraints.

Regional Development Agencies

Lord Liddle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made (a) for England as a whole by region, and (b) for the Cumbria sub-region of the north west, of the likely redundancies in the next eighteen months as a result of the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies, as a result of both the termination of employment of their own directly employed staff and the withdrawal of their recurrent grants (1) to local authorities for support of economic development activities, (2) to enterprise agencies, (3) to innovation centres and business and science parks, (4) to training providers, (5) to tourist promotion bodies, and (6) for arts and sports sponsorship.

Baroness Wilcox: No such assessment has been made.

Severe Disablement Allowance

Baroness Browning: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in the United Kingdom are in receipt of Severe Disablement Allowance.

Lord Freud: The number of people in Great Britain in receipt of severe disablement allowance is 242,300 (February 2010). The number of people receiving severe disablement allowance in Northern Ireland is 10,748 (November 2009).
	Sources:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 5 per cent sample.
	Department for Social Development, Northern Ireland: Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance (published statistics, November 2009).
	1. Severe disablement allowance was closed to new claimants from April 2001.
	2. GB figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. GB figures have been derived by applying 5 per cent proportions to 100 per cent WPLS totals
	4. GB figures available at www.nomisweb.co.uk
	5. Northern Ireland figures available at www.dsdni.gov.uk

Severe Disablement Allowance

Baroness Browning: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which year awards for Severe Disablement Allowance ceased.

Lord Freud: Awards of severe disablement allowance have not been available to new claimants since 6 April 2001. Awards of severe disablement allowance for existing recipients continued under the normal rules of entitlement. Claimants who were receiving severe disablement allowance and aged under 20 on 6 April 2001 transferred to incapacity benefit on 6 April 2002.

Southern Sudan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the progress of the Southern Sudan Anti-Corruption Commission.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are concerned about significant corruption in Southern Sudan and the impact this has on the lives of many poor South Sudanese. We have repeatedly made clear to the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) the importance of tackling corruption and promoting good governance, and the importance of implementing the 2009 Juba compact between donors and GoSS, which contains key provisions to protect against corruption.
	GoSS launched its five-year anti-corruption strategy in December 2009. The Southern Sudan Anti-Corruption Commission is tasked to implement this strategy. The Joint Donor Office in Juba, of which the UK is a member, has supported capacity building events for the Anti-Corruption Commission. The UN Development Programme, which the UK also supports, is currently developing a proposal to support the Commission.
	Some initiatives have been undertaken by the commission. The introduction of asset, income and liabilities declaration forms for all constitutional post holders earlier this year is a step forward. Another key issue will be to ensure that prosecutions can be pursued without political interference. The commission does not currently have a mandate to prosecute cases and can only investigate allegations and pass them to a prosecutor. There are still significant steps to take in this regard.
	We will continue to urge further progress and that activity undertaken by the commission is made public for scrutiny purposes.

Statistics: Net Wealth

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the United Kingdom adult population falls into each decade age-band; and what percentage of net wealth is owned by those in each decade age-band.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for Office for National Statistics, to Lord Myners, dated September 2010
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what percentage of the United Kingdom adult population falls into each decade age-band; and what percentage of net wealth is owned by those in each decade age-band [HL 1966].
	The table shows the percentage of the United Kingdom adult population in each decade age-band. Adult population has been interpreted as those aged 18 and over.
	
		
			 Percentage of total adult population by age group, mid-2009 
			 Age Percentage of total UK adult population 
			 18 to 19 3.4 
			 20 to 29 17.3 
			 30 to 39 16.8 
			 40 to 49 18.8 
			 50 to 59 15.4 
			 60 to 69 13.5 
			 70 to 79 9.1 
			 80 to 89 4.9 
			 90+ 0.9 
		
	
	Note: Figures may not add exactly due to rounding.
	ONS does not have estimates of net wealth for individuals.

Sudan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the current objectives of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission in Sudan; and whether they expect any of them to be met before the independence referendum in January.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The objectives of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC) are to monitor and support implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) working with the Sudanese parties and the international community. The AEC is chaired by Sir Derek Plumbly. Its latest evaluation report was released in July 2010. Further details can be found online at www.aec-sudan.org/about.html. We expect the AEC to continue its role until the end of the CPA in July 2011.

Sudan: Referendum

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to Sudan regarding the proposed repatriation of refugees to southern Sudan before the independence referendum in January and the return of skilled workers to take part in future reconstruction and government work.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government of Southern Sudan have said that they would like to assist displaced people to return voluntarily to Southern Sudan in advance of the referendum. This is a matter that is currently being discussed between the parties to the comprehensive peace agreement. The UK Government support the right of those southerners who wish to return, but will not be actively assisting them to do so. Where individuals have returned of their own free will, there are international organisations on the ground which can assist with reintegration. The UK is supporting these organisations through assessed and other contributions. The UK Government support the right of all eligible individuals to vote in the referendum regardless of their location.

Syria

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford (HL1757), whether the United Kingdom embassy in Damascus has yet had the opportunity to raise the case of Ms Hassan with the government of Syria; and, if not, by when they expect it to do so.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Our embassy raised the case of Ms Hassan with the Syrian Government on 8 September, requesting information on the reasons for her arrest and whether charges have been brought.

Turkey: Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations directly to the government of Turkey concerning religious freedoms in that country, or whether this will be done collectively by the European Union on their behalf.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Our embassy in Ankara regularly raises religious freedoms with its Turkish counterparts in the context of wider discussions on human rights. This was done most recently at the beginning of August.
	The religious freedom of minority groups in Turkey is covered in the European Commission's annual progress reports on Turkey's accession process, and is raised regularly as part of the EU dialogue with Turkey.

Uganda

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the assistance provided by security agencies of the United States, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to the government of Uganda to assist with the investigation of the recent bombings in Kampala; whether they intend to assist the government of Uganda in discovering the nationalities and identities of the bombers; and whether assistance will include assessing claims of al-Shabaab involvement and evidence of links with bomb-making camps in Somalia close to the Ogaden border with Ethiopia and of the use of Iranian-supplied explosives.

Lord Howell of Guildford: At the Government of Uganda's request, my right honourable friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary offered UK assistance in the immediate aftermath of the Kampala bombings. A team from Scotland Yard provided the Uganda police with strategic advice and input in the early stages of the investigation. We understand the United States of America has offered substantial assistance to the Ugandans. We remain in close contact with the Ugandan police and will continue to consider their requests for further targeted, capacity-building assistance.

Uganda

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the activities of the Ugandan rebel groups the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the National Army for Liberation of Uganda (NALU), and their possible links with recent bombings in Kampala and in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Beni territory; and what is their assessment of Operation Ruwenzori and its impact upon the civilian population.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and National Army for Liberation of Uganda (NALU) have been less active than other armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent years but remain a potential threat to security and the civilian population in the region. We have no information to suggest that the ADF or NALU were involved in the recent bombings in Kampala or security incidents in Beni territory in the DRC.
	The Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) (Congolese military) began military operations against the ADF and NALU on 25 June. We understand that these operations have displaced the ADF from their bases. According to the UN, there has also been an impact on the local civilian population with up to 100,000 people displaced along the main axis from Beni north to Eringeti.

Uganda

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of the escalation in attacks by the Ugandan rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) across the Great Lakes region of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what representations they have made to the United Nations Secretary-General about his plans to support regular reporting exclusively focused on LRA activity.

Lord Howell of Guildford: I condemn in the strongest possible terms the recent atrocities carried out by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and also in the Central African Republic and South Sudan. These attacks demonstrate that the LRA remains an unprincipled and violent threat to civilians and regional security.
	We have not made representations to the Secretary-General on his plans to have a separate report on the LRA. We receive regular reports from the Secretariat General on the Great Lakes region which include updates on LRA activity, and the security and humanitarian situation in the DRC is discussed in the Security Council.

Welfare

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their forecast of the annual shortfall in take-up, in terms of number of claimants, percentage of eligible claimants and cash, for (a) council tax benefit, (b) working tax credit (claimants without children), (c) working tax credit (claimants with children eligible for childcare element), (d) housing benefit, (e) disability living allowance, and (f) small business rate relief.

Lord Freud: Her Majesty's Government do not forecast the annual shortfall in take-up of the requested items, so the information requested is not available.
	Forecasts of benefit, tax credit and rate relief are based on historical trends in actual expenditure or revenue foregone, rather than as a proportion of the amounts that could potentially be claimed by individuals or businesses.
	Estimates of past take-up for income-related benefits, including housing benefit and council tax benefit, are in the report IncomeRelated Benefits: Estimates of Take-Up in 2008-09, which is published at statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb_2.
	Estimates for take-up of disability living allowance are not available.
	HM Revenue & Customs publishes detailed information about tax credit take-up on its website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm.
	Communities and Local Government (CLG) have published some estimates on take-up since the small business rate relief scheme was introduced in 2005. These are based on models and assumptions that are subject to some uncertainty. Information on these estimates can be found on the CLG website at the following links:
	www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/nondomesticrates/
	www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/14068801.pdf

Welfare

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to promote the take-up, pending any changes to the welfare system, of (a) council tax benefit, (b) working tax credit (claimants without children), (c) working tax credit (claimants with children eligible for childcare element), (d) housing benefit, (e) disability living allowance, and (f) small business rate relief.

Lord Freud: Information on benefits is, and will continue to be, available from the government departments and local authorities which administer them, from Citizens Advice Bureaux and other advice agencies, in other public places like libraries and doctors' surgeries, and online via Directgov.
	DWP works increasingly with local authority social services, welfare rights organisations and other partners to improve awareness of disability living allowance.
	Local authorities administer and promote the take-up of housing benefit and council tax benefit. DWP has supported this work recently to try to reduce worklessness. DWP and local authorities often work together to provide a single point of contact for claims to the benefits they administer, which improves take-up.
	Local authorities are also responsible for small business rate relief. The coalition agreement contained a commitment to find a practical way to make small business rate relief automatic.
	Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has no plans to run a promotional campaign relating to the take-up of working tax credit.

West Bank and Gaza

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent legal advice they have received concerning the situation in the West Bank and Gaza.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We welcome the launch of direct talks and urge the parties to engage seriously and deal directly and urgently with final status issues. We will continue to do all we can to buttress these talks, working with the US and our other EU and international partners.
	We have consistently made clear our view that settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. The UK along with the international community will continue to urge Israel to freeze all settlement activity.
	We have also been clear that the situation in Gaza is unsustainable and counterproductive. We therefore welcome Israel's decision to move from a list of permitted goods to a list of specific prohibited items. This step shows that it is possible to lift the pressure on ordinary Gazans whilst protecting Israel's security. All parties must now work together urgently to deliver real change on the ground.

West Bank and Gaza

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision in the current year and in 2011-12 they are making for emergency assistance, aid and development in respect of the West Bank and Gaza (a) bilaterally, and (b) through the European Union.

Lord De Mauley: We expect bilateral UK aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTS) to total £76.5 million in 2010-11. This includes approximately £74 million from the Department for International Development (DfID) and £2.5 million from the Conflict Pool, a tri-departmental fund managed by DfID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence. All DfID bilateral and multilateral aid programmes are under review and we cannot provide figures for 2011-12.
	Figures for total EU assistance to the OPTS, and the UK's share of this, for 2011 and 2012 are not yet available. The EU's financial commitment to the Palestinian people, in 2009 and 2010 (calendar years), is shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Estimated breakdown by programme/sector 2009 € 2010 € 
			 Direct and Indirect Financial Support 219.10 158.50 
			 Institutional Building (1) 12.00 31.00 
			 Infrastructure Development 19.50 21.00 
			 Direct Support to the Private Sector 22.00 11.00 
			 UNRWA 169.59 67.00 
			 Humanitarian Aid, Food Aid, Food Security, Food Facility (excluding UNRWA) 59.15 60.20 
			 East Jerusalem initiatives 4.50 6.00 
			 Support to civil society (i.e. Partnership for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy, NSA, etc.) 3.30 12.40 
			 CFSP actions, Rapid Reaction Mechanism, Instrument for Stability (excluding UNRWA) 9.27 0.00 
			 OVERALL TOTAL 518.41 367.10 
		
	
	(Source: European Commission)
	In the current calendar year the EU has committed €367.10 million to Palestinians across the Middle East region. The UK's officially attributed share of this is €51.8 million. In 2009, the EU committed €518.41 million to Palestinians and the UK's share of this spend was €72.52 million.

Your Freedom Initiative

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many responses there have been to the "Your Freedom" initiative.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many responses by subject they received to the "Your Freedom" initiative.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: As of 12 August 2010 "Your Freedom" has received 13,661 ideas. 82,896 comments and 215,228 votes have been submitted on these ideas.
	The ideas have been submitted under three themes as follows:
	2,400 ideas have related to cutting red tape;5,200 ideas relate to removing unnecessary laws; and6,000 ideas relate to protecting civil liberties.

Department for Transport: Consultancy

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest figure for the Department for Transport's total spend on consultancy and all other advisory services in connection with the Intercity Express Programme.

Earl Attlee: From 2005 to July 2010, the Department for Transport spent a total of £27.6 million on rail industry advice, the independent Foster Review, meeting room hire and the legal, financial, business case, technical, project management, and procurement advice associated with the £7.5 billion Intercity Express Programme.

Energy: Nuclear Industry

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support the development of a nuclear supply chain industry in the United Kingdom.

Lord De Mauley: Her Majesty's Government are committed to helping to create a globally competitive UK nuclear supply chain and are undertaking a programme of activity to enable this.
	This includes working with the Nuclear Industry Association on a supply chain development programme called sc@nuclear, which aims to give information to the prospective supply chain about new nuclear opportunities. The revamped sc@nuclear website was launched in July 2010. HM Government continue to support work to develop the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, and in addition are supporting the National Skills Academy for Nuclear in its work to co-ordinate skills and training provision across the sector.
	HMG are also working closely with prospective new nuclear developers to assist them in their supply chain development activity. On 13 September 2010 the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Minister of State for Energy spoke at a nuclear suppliers event held by EDF Energy which was attended by around 600 delegates, many of whom were representing UK companies.
	HMG have supported the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) since it was established in July 2008. HMG have encouraged the NNL to build its operations, resulting in access to the NNL's facilities for six universities being expanded, and its staff increasing by 52 including 19 graduates in science, engineering and maths. Currently HMG are supporting the NNL in its planned additional £42 million investment to bring phase 2 of its central laboratory into active use and to improve the operation of its unique shielded facilities in B13 at Sellafield. The NNL, working with universities and UK industry, will provide the technology foundation for the UK to meet, safely and economically, its domestic needs and to compete internationally.

Forced Marriages

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the effect of the increase in the minimum age at which the spouse of a British citizen may be sponsored for entry into the United Kingdom on the length of time those in forced marriages remain against their will in foreign countries.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The minimum age at which someone can sponsor a spouse to come to the UK or be sponsored as a spouse was raised from 18 to 21 via a change to the Immigration Rules on 27 November 2008.
	There is no full or reliable data available on the numbers of British citizens kept overseas against their will following a forced marriage.
	Therefore we cannot assess whether the increase in the marriage visa age has had any impact on the length of time British citizens are kept overseas against their will following a forced marriage.
	A strategic decision was taken to raise the marriage visa age to 21 to provide an opportunity for individuals to develop maturity and life skills which may allow them to resist the pressure of being forced into a marriage and provides an opportunity to complete education. It aims to delay sponsorship and allow the victim an opportunity to seek help and advice.

People Trafficking

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness of human trafficking into and within the United Kingdom, to increase reporting and to gain evidence usable in prosecutions.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Within law enforcement agencies, awareness of human trafficking is being raised through mainstream police training courses and by the introduction of mandatory e-learning for all UK Border Agency staff below grade seven level.
	In addition, it has been decided that 18 October will be the UK Anti-Slavery Day which will provide a focus for non-government organisations to undertake awareness-raising campaigns and encourage people to become actively involved in the campaign against this crime.
	The Government keep legislation under constant review to ensure that it is fit for purpose. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will be holding a consultation with victims of trafficking to discuss experiences of the criminal justice system and to identify possible measures to improve levels of engagement with the criminal justice system. This will lead to the publication of a public policy statement to explain how cases of human trafficking are prosecuted and encourage victims to support criminal proceedings.

People Trafficking

Baroness Thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they refused to sign the new draft European Union directive on human trafficking.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government decided not to opt in to the directive at the outset, but to review the position once the directive has been agreed. We still have the option of applying to opt in later.
	While the directive will help to improve anti-trafficking efforts across the EU, it will make little practical difference to the way the UK fights trafficking. The UK is already bound by the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, which contains similar provisions on non-prosecution of victims.
	The UK has a strong record in the fight against trafficking and already complies in both legislation and practice with most of what is required by the draft directive.

Prisons: Mental Health

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will tackle the disproportionality in sectioning being applied to black and minority ethnic people with mental health illnesses and detainees in the prison services.

Earl Howe: We recognise that more needs to be done to understand the higher rates of detention under the Mental Health Act of people from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. We have recently announced that, in the months ahead, we will reshape our mental health strategy. Reducing inequality is part of that strategy.
	With regard to the numbers of BME people in prison, it is the responsibility of the courts to determine which suspects/offenders receive custodial remands/sentences. There is currently work under way within the Ministry of Justice to better understand sentencing decisions in terms of ethnicity.

Schools: Academies

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether new Academy trusts will be required to fund building adaptations and specialist equipment to support children allocated to the school with low incidence special educational needs.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The vast majority of children with low incidence special educational needs will have a statement. Local authorities retain responsibility for pupils with statements in academies on the same basis as for statemented pupils in maintained schools. Where a statement states that building adaptations or specialist equipment is required, the local authority has responsibility for funding this.

Schools: Academies

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that school academies and parent-led schools will use the pupil premium to assist disadvantaged pupils.

Lord Hill of Oareford: We believe that schools, including academies and free schools, are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the pupils within their responsibility so it will be for them to decide how to spend the pupil premium.
	We will help inform all schools' decisions about how best to use the money to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils by publishing information and evidence about what works, including about the impact of new and innovative practice.

Shipping: Lighthouses

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officials of the United Kingdom Government and government agencies attended the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities Conference in Cape Town in March 2010 as delegates; how many officials of the Corporation of Trinity House, Northern Lighthouse Board, and Commissioners of Irish Lights attended; how much each general lighthouse authority spent on (a) flights, (b) accommodation, and (c) subsistence; and whether this expenditure was agreed by the Department for Transport.

Earl Attlee: Fourteen officials of Trinity House, the Northern Lighthouse Board and the Commissioners of Irish Lights attended the International Association of Marine Aids to the Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities Conference in Cape Town in March 2010.
	The breakdown of the numbers of officials and the costs incurred is:
	
		
			  Trinity House Northern Lighthouse Board Commissioners of Irish Lights 
			 Number attending 6 5 3 
			 Costs:
			 (a) Flights £8,034 £1,932 €3,525 
			 (b) Accommodation £9,325 £2,656 €4,244 
			 (c)Subsistence £220 £1,328 €442 
		
	
	Two of the Trinity House officials represented all the authorities as members of the joint Research and Radionavigation Directorate and a third attended in his capacity as treasurer of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation. This expenditure was within the 2009-10 budgets of the authorities which were sanctioned by the Department for Transport.

Shipping: Lighthouses

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Michael Grey's (a) flights, (b) accommodation, and (c) subsistence, for the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities Conference held in Cape Town in March 2010 were paid for by the Corporation of Trinity House.

Earl Attlee: No.

Shipping: Lighthouses

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for Transport was aware of the job advertisement for the position of Deputy Master of the Corporation of Trinity House prior to it being posted on the internet in August 2010 by Brooklands Executives Ltd.

Earl Attlee: Yes.

Shipping: Lighthouses

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment the Department for Transport has made of the suggestion that the chief executive arrangements for the Corporation of Trinity House be shared with one of the other two general lighthouse authorities, in line with the policy being encouraged by Communities and Local Government for local authority appointments.

Earl Attlee: The General Lighthouse Authorities' corporate governance arrangements and board structures were independently examined by Atkins consultants earlier this year as part of the Assessment of the Provision of Marine Aids to Navigation around the United Kingdom and Ireland. In looking at alternative structures their conclusion was that the post of Executive Chairman of the Trinity House Lighthouse Board should be retained. Her Majesty's Government have accepted this recommendation.

Shipping: Lighthouses

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the 52 recommendations made by the Atkins report, Assessment of the Provision of Marine Aids to Navigation around the United Kingdom and Ireland (March 2010), have been delivered in full to date; which recommendations will remain outstanding on 1 April 2011; and when the recommendations will be implemented in full.

Earl Attlee: Seven of the recommendations have been fully implemented. In a Written Ministerial Statement on 26 July [Official Report, Cols WS134-5]it was announced that the Minister for Shipping did not intend to implement those recommendations relating to changing the basis on which light dues are currently charged, but that he would seek an equitable means of paying for marine aids to navigation. We anticipate that most of the remaining recommendations will have been implemented by April 2011 and that a negotiated solution to the imbalance of funding for aids to navigation in the Republic of Ireland will be taken forward as quickly as is reasonably possible.

Shipping: Lighthouses

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government against what criteria the success of the Chairman of the General Lighthouse Authority Joint Strategic Board, Chris Bourne, will be judged; and whether they will place a copy of his targets in the Library of the House.

Earl Attlee: In a Written Ministerial Statement on 26 July [Official Report, Cols WS134-5]my honourable friend the Minister for Shipping confirmed that he had asked Chris Bourne, a non-executive director of Trinity House, to act as chair of the General Lighthouse Authority Joint Strategic Board. In this role as chair of the board he will take an independent and impartial view of the issues and will report on the board's achievements.
	My honourable friend expects all non-executive directors of the General Lighthouse Authorities to support the Department for Transport and Ministers in seeking to ensure the development of robust corporate plans and associated business cases, rigorous financial controls and the propriety and regularity of all expenditure in accordance with Treasury rules. The performance of the non-executive directors is subject to continuous review by the General Lighthouse Authorities.